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THE LIFE 



OF 



General U.S. Grant, 



HIS EARLY LIKE, MILITARY ACHIEVEMENTS, AND HISTORY 

OF HIS CIVIL ADMINISTRATION, HIS SICKNESS AND 

DEATH, TOGETHER WITH HIS 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



CONTAINING 



His Speeches, Receptions, and Description of His Travels. 

EDITED BY > >- 

^ L. T. REMLAP. ' 

Author of "Gospel Awakening," "General Grant's Tour Around the World,' 

"Chautauqua, Descriptive and Illustrated," "The Great Redemption," 

"Select Readings," Etc., Etc. 



"The good opinion of mv countrymen is deaker to .me than the praise 

OF ALL the world BESIDE." — 

General Grant at the Prrss Recfption, San Francisco. 



ILLUSTRATED. 



CHICAGO: 
FAIRBANKS & PALMER TUP. CO. 

1885. 



eOPYRtOHTEB BY 

L. T. PALMER, 

18S5. 



PREFACE. 

In the preparation of this volume the editor has 
endeavored to present, in a concise and readable 
form, a faithful and accurate biography of the great 
chieftain whose military genius restored domestic 
peace and civil law throughout our land ; who, in 
his public and political career, while twice occupy- 
ing the most exalted position of President of the 
United States, administered the government with 
moderation, generosity, wisdom and success, and 
solved with rare patriotism and intelligence the many 
complicated and difficult questions that confronted 
him. Triumphs, which conspired to make Ulysses 
S. Grant honored and revered by all Americans and 
the civilized nations of the world. 

In these few pages will be found a delightful 
picture of grandeur and simplicity of character, — a 
man thoughtful, reserved and taciturn, of unprece- 
dented magnanimity, undoubted patriotism, cool 
judgment, clear-sighted sagacity, singleness of pur- 
pose, subordination of all egotistical and selfish con- 
siderations to duty and the public good, impervious 
to flattery, modest in his bearing, never boasting of 
his deeds or selfishly obtruding himself before the 
public, — a man of tireless energy, of great breadth 
of comprehension, of the highest order of adminis- 
trative genius. Such a character, when carefully 
studied, will teach the mass of mankind that high 
qualities and great abilities are consistent with the 
simplicity of taste, contempt for parade, and plain- 



IV PREFACE. 

ness of manners with which direct and earnest men 
have a strong and natural sympathy. 

The editor of the San Francisco Ch>-onicle truly 
voices the sentiment of all Americans when he said : 
" It was but fitting that he should be crow'ned with 
such honors as have never been bestowed by foreign 
nations upon any citizen of the United vStates, and 
become the recipient of such tokens of confidisnce 
and enthusiastic affection as have never been exhib- 
ited by Americans to any citizen. For when this 
generation shall have passed away, when the fierce 
passions engendered by a bitter strife shall have been 
tranquilized, the voices of prejudice and calumny 
that have been so loud against his great name will 
be hushed forever, and the verdict of impartial his- 
tory will be that, since the foundation of our gov- 
ernment, no American, however bright the halo that 
time has cast around his memory, has deserved better 
of his country than Ulysses S. Grant." 

The compiler has availed himself of all reliable 
sources of information, special care having been 
taken to verify statements of fact from official 
sources. He would acknowledge his indebtedness 
for the militar}' record of General Grant, to Head, 
ley's " Grant and His Campaigns," Greeley's "Amer- 
ican Conflict," General Badeau's interesting " Mili- 
tary History of General Grant," and Abbott's " Life 
of Grant." The description of General Grant's tour 
around the world is largely drawn from two sources: 
The letters public and private of Jesse Grant to the 
New York //rv-rt-A/ and Chicago /'//c'r-Occa;?, and those 
of J. Russell Young to the New York Herald. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

GEN. U. S. grant's BOYHOOD. 

The Grant Family Motto — His Grandfather— His Father— His 
Father's Marmage — A Pious Mother — Birth of Hiram Ulysses — 
How His Name was Changed — Early Boyhood School Days — His 
Father's Limited Means — Incidents in His Early Life, - - 17 

CHAPTER IL 

AT WEST POINT. 

Anxious for a Collegiate Education — Adopts the Profession of 
Arms — Appointed a Cadet at West Point — Improving Opportunities 
— Rank at Graduation — List of Classmates — Their Military Rank in 
1861, 23 

CHAPTER III. 

ENTERS THE ARMY — THE MEXICAN WAR. 

Breveted Second Lieutenant on the Frontier — Ordered to Texas 
— Annexation of Texas — Sam Houston — Bombardment of Fort 
Brown — Battle of Palo Alto — Battle of Resaca de la Palma — Battle 
of Monterey — Vera Cruz to Mexico — Garrison Life at Sacketts Har- 
bor — His Marriage — On the Paciiic Coast — Resigns his Commission 
, — Farm Life near St. Louis — Removes to Galena, 111., - - 32 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE CIVIL WAR — MADE A BRIGADIER. 

The First Shot — Raises a Company — Adjutant General of Illi- 
nois — His valuable Services — Appointed Colonel — Patriotic Letter to 

(5) 



6 CONTENTS. 

Mr. Dent — New York Tribune Editorial Comments — ^Joins his Reg- 
iment — Ordered to Missouri — Made Brigadier General — Appointed 
to the Command of Cairo, 40 

CHAPTER V. 

BELMONT FORT HEMRY — FORT DONELSON. 

The Port of Cairo — Kentucky Neiitralitj — Occupation of Paducah 
. — Proclamation to the Citizens — Battle of Belmont — Capture of Fort 
Henrv — Commodore A. H. Foote — Fort Donelson — Co-operation of 
the Fleet — General Floyd — Escape of Floyd and Pillow — Uncondi- 
tional Surrender — Its Importance to the Union Cause — Evacuation 
of Columbus and Bowling Green, - - - • » • - 45 

CHAPTER VI. 

PITTSBURG, SHILOH, lUKA AND CORINTH. 

The Confederates at Corinth — Crumps Landing — Johnston's Pro- 
clamation — Battle of Pittsburg Landing and Shiloli — Rally of the 
Union Forces — The Confederate Defeat — Pursuit — Sherman's Remi- 
niscences — Rebel Retreat to Corinth — Siege of Corinth — Retreat of 
the Enemy — Other Movements — Battle of luka — Rebel Attack on 
Corinth, 55 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE ADVANCE TO VICKSBURG. 

The Advance upon Vicksburg — Repeated Failures of Movements 
to the Northward of Vicksburg — Running the Batteries — March to 
New Carthage — Admiral Porter — Bombardment of Grand Gulf — 
Crossing the Mississippi at Bruinsburg — Advance upon Port Gibson 
— Union Success — Evacuation of Grand Gulf — On the Big Black — 
Grant's Strategy — Battle of Jackson — Champion's Hill — Big Black 
River Bridge — Pemberton's Flight to Vicksburg, - - - 67 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE SIEGE OF VICKSBURG. 

The Investment of Vicksburg — Magnitude of the Achievement 



CONTENTS. »J 

— The Assault and Repvilse — Progress of the Siege — Distress of the 
Besieged — Famine — Bombardment of tlie City — Explosion of the 
Mine — The Capitulation— Joy Th oughout the North — The Presi- 
dent's Letter of Congratulation — Grant ordered North, • - 78 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE PREPARATIONS AT CHATTANOOGA. 

Made a Major General — Rosecrans' Defeat at Chickamauga — 
The Peril of the Army — Grant Appointed to the Command — His 
Wonderful Energy — Brilliant Relief of the Army — Opening Com- 
munications — Reorganization — A Grand Army — Sherman Arrives 
— Burnside's Peril — Assuming the Offensive, - - - 87 

CHAPTER X. 

THE BATTLES OF MISSIONARY RIDGE AND LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 

Hooker's Advance — The Battle above the Clouds — Retreat of the 
Confederates — Movements of Sherman — Thomas's Gallant Charge 
— The Grand Victory — Sheridan's Pursuit — Sherman Sent to the 
Relief of Burnside at Knoxville — The Siege of Knoxville Raised — 
The Retreat of Johnston, ....... icjo 

CHAPTER XI. 

PUBLIC HONORS — LIEUTENANT-GENERAL. 

Revival of the Grade of Lieutenant-General. — Action of Con- 
gress — General Grant Nominated by the President — Letter to Sher- 
man — Public Enthusiasm — New Plans for the Conduct of the 
War. 11$ 

CHAPTER XII. 

THE BATTLES OF THE WILDERNESS. 

Grant's Plans — Army Crosses the Rapidan — The Three Days' 
Battles — Terrible Losses — Battle of Spottsylvania Court House- 
Defeat of the Confederates — Death of Wadsworth and Sedgwick. ^^9 



8 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

FROM SPOTTSYLVANIA TO PETERSBURG. 

Lee's Retreat— The Race for Richmond— At the North Anna— 
Across the Pamunkey— On the Chickahominy— Desperate Battle of 
Cold Harbor— Grand Strategic Movements to Petersburg— Conflict 
Around Petersburg. - • - '39 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE SEIGE OF PETERSBURG. 

Investing Petersburg— Birney's Raid — Wilson and Kautz Cavalry 
Raid — Bombardment of the City— Ewell's Raid on Washington — 
Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley — Defeat of the Confederates. 146 

CHAPTER XV. 
Sherman's march to the sea. 

Preliminary Movements— Capture of Atlanta — Confederate At- 
tack on Nashville— General Thomas' Gallant Defense — Sherman's 
Wonderful March — ^The Ravages of the March — Capture of Sa- 
vannah. • . 161 

CHAPTER XVI. 

THE FINAL VICTORY. 

Sherman's March Through the Carolinas— Grant's Superior 
Generalship — Lee's Plan of Escape — Flight of the Confederates — 
Surrender of Lee at Appomattox — Surrender of Johnston — Overthrow 
of the Rebellion— Grant's Farewell Address. • - - 169 

CHAPTER XVII. 

THE WORKS OF PEACE. 

The Disbandment of the Army — Total Force Mustered Out- 
Sale of Horses and Mules — Barracks and Hospitals — Railroad Equip- 
ments—Total Enlisted Men— Total Bounties Paid— Cost of the War — 
The Sanitary and Christian Commissions — Ad-Interim Secretary of 
War. i?| 



CONTENTS. 9 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

GRANT THE STATESMAN. 

Nomination for the Presidency— Great Popularity— Unprecedented 
Popular Vote — Events of His Administration — The Panic — The 
Chicago and Boston Fires— The Indian Wars— The Centennial Ex- 
position—Corruption and Official Jobbery— "Let No Guilty Man 
Escape " — Return to Private Life. . - . . - 191 

CHAPTER XIX. 

OFF FOR EUROPE. 

Departure from Philadelphia — Rousing Demonstration — On the 
Ocean — Arrival at Queenstown — Liverpool — Grand Reception — A 
Round of Pleasure — At the Docks — Mayor's Reception and Ball. 205 

CHAPTER XX. 

GENERAL GRANT IN LONnON. 

His Arrival — Prince of Wales — Grand Banquet — Duke of Wel- 
lington — Waterloo Chamber — At Westminster Abbey — Reception at 
the American Legation— ;Grand Ball — Buckingham Palace — Free- 
dom of the city of London — Magnificent Reception — Its Significance 
— Gold Casket — Distinguished Guests — Marquis of Lome. 215 

CHAPTER XXI. 

GRANT IN ENGLAND. 

A Letter to D. W. Childs — Dining with the Prince of Wales— 
At Minister Pierrepont's — Royal Opera House— Banquet by Trinity 
House — Speech by the Prince of Wales — Address by Earl Carnaervon 
— General Grant's Reply — Reception by Queen Victoria — State 
Dinner — Ladies' Toilets— State Concert — Grand Banquet Tendered 
by the City of Liverpool— Addresses — General Badeau — United Ser- 
vice Club — American Legation. ^i' 

CHAPTER XXII. 

ON THE CONTINENT. 

At Brussels — Reception and Dinner by King Leopold — At Co 



lO CONTENTS. 

logne — Visiting Churches and the Cathedral — At Frankfort — Great 
Reception — A Grand Ball — At Hamburg — At Lucerne — Berne — 
Geneva — Laying a Corner Stone — At Pallanza — At Copenhagen — 
Ulysses — A Happy Speech. 246 

CHAPTER XXHL 

RETURN TO GREAT BRITAIN. 

Presented with the PVeedom of Edinburgh — Enthusiastic Recep- 
tion — Lord Provost's Speech — Grant's Reply — Tay Bridge — Its De- 
scription—City of Wick — At Glasgow — The Finest and Most Enthu- 
siastic Reception — Speech of Mr. Anderson — Grant's Long Speech — 
Remarkable Reception at Newcastle — At Northumberland — Gates- 
head — At Sheffield — At Birmingham — Speeches. - - - 351 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

GENERAL GRANT IN PARIS. 

Adieu to England — Boulogne — At Paris — Enthusiastic Reception 
— Palace de Elysee — Grand Banquet by Resident Americans — Recep- 
tion by Minister Noyes — Menu — Brilliant Assemblage — Banquet at 
Marshal McMahon's — Address — Grant's Reply — A Comparison — 
Mrs. Mackay's Reception — Extravagance of Display — Dinner at Mrs. 
Sickles' — At Mr. Harjes. 266 

CHAPTER XXV. 

THROUGH FRANCE — ITALY. 

At Lyons — Marseilles — Genoa — Reception on Board the Van- 
dalia — At Naples — Mt. Vesuvius — "House of Refuge" — Ruins of 
Pompeii — Special Excavation— Interesting Relics — Royal Palace— At 
Palermo — Christmas Dinner — Menu — How He Traveled — Land of 
Many Civilizations — Brigandage —At Malta — Duke of Edinburgh — 
Palace San Antonio — Adieu - - 281 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

IN EGYPT AND THE LOTUS LAND. 

A Severe Storm — At Alexandria — Oriental Etiquette — The Pasha 
—Reception — Brilliant Entertainment at Vice-Consul Salvage — 



CONTENTS. II 

Henry M. Stanley — The Khedive Calls on General Grant — A Host's 
Thoughtfulness— At Siout— The Donkey Ride— Inspecting the Town 
— Speech of the Pasha's Son — At Girgel to Ruined City of Abydos 
— God Osiris — Excavations — At Thebes — City of a Hundred Gates 
— Its Magnificent Ruins— The Great Temple of Karnak — At Keneh 
—At Assowan— Philic— The First Cataract — The Return— At Mem- 
phis — Sacred Bulls at Kaser-el-Nousa 28S 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

TURKEY AND THE HOLY LAND. 

At Jaffa — Ruins of Gezer — David and Goliah — At Jerusalem — 
Bishops and Patriarchs — Stroll on the Via Dolorosa — Ruins and 
Relics — Dives — Calvary — Brook Kedron — Valley of Jehosaphat — 
Mount of Olives — Bethany — At Damascus — At Athens — Grand 
Entertainment by the King at Naples — At Rome — His Clerical Visi- 
tor — At Turin — Return to the French Capital — At the Exposition — 
A Game of Polo — Ball at Mr. Healy's — At the Hague — Great Dem- 
onstration at Rotterdam — At Amsterdam — Enthusiastic Welcome — 
The Dutch Excited 306 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

GRANT IN GERMANY, NORWAY, SWEDEN, RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA. 

General Grant at Berlin— An Evening Stroll — Prince Bismarck 
— Great Peace Congress — Attempt to Assassinate the Emperor — 
Bismarck Calls on Mrs. Grant — Reception at Minister Taylor's — 
Crown Prince — Military Manoeuvers — Dining with Bismarck— Bottle 
of Schnapps— At Gothenburg — Immense Crowd — At Christiana — 
King Oscar II — Turning out en masse at Stockholm — Grand Ban- 
quet—At St. Peter sburgh— Prince Gortschakoff— With the Czar— At 
the Versailles of St. Petersburgh— Grand Duke Alexis— At Moscow 
— At Warsaw — Vienna — Grand Reception— At Zurich - - 315 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

GENERAL GRANT IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 

Again at Paris — Reception bv Minister Noyes In Spain — 
Spanish Life and Character— Alfonso XII.— San Sebastian— Grand 
Annual Military Review at Victoria— Palace of Ayuntamiento—M 



12 CONTENTS. 

Madrid — Attempt on Alfonso's Life— The Shot Seen by General 
Grant— Escape — Congratulations — At Lisbon — Dining with King 
Luis — A Cordial Reception— At Seville— Duke de Montpensier— At 
Cadiz— Enthusiastic Reception— At Gibraltar— Old Friends— Lord 
Napier — Grand Review— At Pau — Return to Paris - ■ 333 

CHAPTER XXX. 

GENERAL GRANT IN IRELAND. 

Irish Interest— A Citizen of Dublin— Grand Ovation — Long 
Speech from General Grant— Good Times Coming — Trinity College 
—Insult from Cork — Grant's Friendship Toward Catholics— Unpar- 
alleled Reception at Derry — Denouncing the Insult of Corkonians — 
Curiositiesof Ulster— Old Soldiers— At Belfast— Imposing and Ex- 
traordinary Reception— Stopping the Linen Mills— At the Ship 
Yards— At Kingston— The Irish Welcome Compared to Others 344 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

GENERAL GRANT IN INDIA. 

Again in London — Paris — Marseilles— Delightful Trip Through 
the Mediterranean— Description of Trip — At Alexandria — A Rail- 
road Ride in Egypt — At Suez— On the Red Sea— At Aden— Bombay 
— Enthusiastic Reception — Holy Place of the Hindoos— A Parsee 
Merchant— The Byculla Club — Flagship Eurydius— Elephanta Caves 
— Reception at the Government House — Singular Custom — Caste — 
Hatred of Races— A Farewell— At Tatulpur— At Allahabad— Agra 
— The Maharajah of Jeypore — At Amber— A Native City under 
Native Rule— Gas in India— Elephant Ride— The Temple— A Kid 
Sacrificed at the Palace—Nautch Dancing Girls— Playing Billiards 
—A Royal Photograph • - 3^3 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

STILL IN INDIA. 

At Burtpoor — A Princely Reception — Tuttehpoor Sikva — Akbar 
—Interesting Ruins — At Benares — Sacred City — At the Ganges 
"Holy Kasi ' — A City of Priests — Fourteen Hundred and Fifty 
Temples — A Sacred Ri.lcr— Burning the Body— At Delhi— Military 
Reception— lis Splendor— The Palace of the Grand Mogul— The 



CONTENTS. 1 3 

Kutah Tower — At Calcutta — Lord Lytton's Speech — Continuous 
Round of Enjoyment — At Rangoon, Burmah — The Philadelphia of 
Burmah — Commercial Advantages — Opening for American Mer- 
chants - 39° 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

GENERAL GRANT IN SIAM. 

At Singapore — Interesting Letter from the King of Siam — Bang- 
kok — Another Letter — Embarking — Reception at the King's Palace 
— The ex-Regent — An Aged Statesman — Mr. Borie and the King — 
Royal Proclamation — A Second King — His Income — A Political 
Influence — First King of Siam — Grand Palace — Elegant Furnishing 
— An Audience with the King — The King Returns the Visit — An 
Interesting Conversaiion — Correspondence Promised — A State Din- 
ner — Who Were There — The Surroundings — King's Speech — Gen- 
eral Grant's Reply — A Delightful Week .... ^©8 

CHAPTER XXXIV. . 

GENERAL GRANT IN CHINA. 

At Saigon — The Government House — Hong Kong — At Canton 
— Its Situation — The Viceroy — Special Honors — Bulletin— Chairs of 
Rank — Two Hundred Thousand People — Members of Court — The 
Entertainment — Dinner at Consul-General Lincoln's — Greatest 
Demonstration of Trip— At Macao— The Grotto of Camoens — 
Reception at Hong Kong— An Address — General Grant's Reply- 
Parting Salutes— At Swatow — Chinese Governor— Amoy — A Stroll 
Through the Town — Letters from the King of Siam and King of the 
Sandwich Islands and the Viceroy of Canton — General Grant's Re- 
plies — At Shanghai — Unexpected Greetings — An Address— Reply — 
At Tientsin — The Viceroy — Extraordinary Conversation at Pekin — 
Reception by the Prince Imperial — Confidential Proposition — Flat- 
tering Reception — Unusual Demonstration by the Prince— Return to 
Tientsin— The Viceroy's Friendly Visits — Pleasure of General Grant 
— Farewell to China 4^8 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

GENERAL GRANT IN JAPAN. 

At Nagasaki— Banqueted by Citizens— The Herald's Graphic De- 



14 CONTENTS. 

>cription — Address of Merchants — Fish and Soup — Arrival at Tokio 
— Palace of Enriokwan — Its Gardens — The Bazaars — A Native 
Dance — Reception at the College of Engineering — At Yokahama — 
Grand Reception — Address of Welcome — Feast of Lanterns— A 
Brilliant Spectacle— Reception by the Emperor — His Palace— Japan- 
ese Etiquette — Address of the Emperor and Empress — In the Moun- 
tains — At the Old Capital — Interesting tete a iete with the Emperor — 
Farewell to Japan — Sailing of the Tokio .... 468 

CHAPEER XXXVI. 

GENERAL grant's RETURN. 

Embarking from Tokio — Date of Arrival — Review of Tour — 
Preparation for His Reception — The Great Excursion — Not Flatter- 
ing to the American People — Out of the Presidential Race — Admiral 
Ammen — Hon. E. B. Washburn — Murat Halstead — His Positive 
Acceptance of the Presidency of the Nicaraugua Ship Canal Com- 
pany — Letter to Admiral Ammen — Reception Programme at San 
Francisco — On the Watch — Magnificent Ovation Expected — The 
"Sand Lot" Braggart — Threat to Hang Grant in EtBgy -—Intense 
Excitement — Probable Result - - .... J12 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

ARRIVAL AT SAN FRANCISCO. 

Preparations for His Reception — His Arrival — The Reception 
Committee — Immense Crowds Assembled — The Mas or's Address — 
The Procession — Line of March — At the California Theater — Poem 
by the Poet-Scout — Absence of Personal Vanity — Grant Compared 
to Napoleon — Character as a Military Man — The High Pitch of En- 
thusiasm — Comments of the Press ..... ^32 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

RETURN TO HIS HOME. 

Formal Presentation of General and Mrs. Grant to the Citizens 
of California — At the Produce Exchange — The Baldwin Theater — 
Visit to Oakland — The Press Banquet — The Carnival at Mechanic's 
Pavilion — Visit to San Jose — Return to San Francisco — Children's 
Reception at Woodward's Gardens — In the Yosemite Valley — Off 



CONTENTS. 15 

for Oregon — Homeward Journey and Receptions en Route — Wel- 
come at Galena — Unparalleled Receptions at Chicago — Speeches 
at the Receptions of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee — Col. 
Vilas, of Wisconsin — Mark Twain — Banquet — The Calumet Club — 
Return to Galena, *--5S5 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

POLITICS AND BUSINESS. 

Grant's Galena Residence — In Retirement — The Politicians and 
Monev-makers — Their Schemes — The Nicaraugua Scheme — Mexi- 
can Railroads — Grant's Sincerity — Influence of Friends — Na'iional 
Republican Convention of 1880 — The Candidates and Political 
Managers — Conkling's Nomination of Grant — The Old Guard — 
Nomination of Garfield — Grant's Calm Dignity under Defeat— Sup- 
port of Garfield— Grant's Visit to Blaine in the Fall of 1884 — 
Sublime Loyalty to Republicanism — Removal to New York — Fund 
of $250,000 raised — A Special Partner in Firm of Grant & Ward — 
The Marine Bank Failure — Borrowing $150,000 from W. H. Van- 
derbilt — Failure of Grant & Ward — Complete Financial Ruin of 
General Grant and His Sons — Personal Property Presented to the 
United States— The Grant Retirement Bill, - - - - 668 

CHAPTER XL. 

PAINFUL ACCIDENT, DISTRESSING SICKNESS, HEROIC DEATH. 

General Grant's General Health During the War — During his 
Civil Administration — Exposures, and Irregularities of Travel — Pain- 
ful Accident Christmas Eve, 1883 — Condolence of the Nation — Pri- 
mary Causes of Present Illness — Early Stages — Senator Hill's Case — 
Alarming Symptoms — Expressions of Deep Sympathy North and 
South — The Bulletins — Sweet Joys of a Happy Family — Cancer Un- 
like Ordinary Disease — History Furnishes no Parallel Case — Prome- 
theus, the Greek— Words of Sympathy from Public Bodies and Prom- 
inent Persons — Funeral Obsequies — Comments of Press, 6S4 

Appendices, ~,\'^-~,~,- 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Portrait of General U. S. Grant (on 

steel) Frontispiece 

Birthplace of U. S. Grant i6 

View of West Point 24 

Portrait of General Houston 3J 

Route of the Army from Vera Cruz 

to Mexico 3S 

Portrait of General WinfieUl Scott . 36 

Scott's Army Entering- Mexico. ... 38 

Fort Sumter in iS6i 41 

The Interior of Fort Henry 48 

Portrait of Coirunodore A. II. Foote 50 

Portrait of Albert Sydney Johnston 53 

Portrait of P. G. T. Beauregard. .. 56 

Portrait of Don Carlos Buell . (^ 

Portrait of John C. Breckinridge.. 61 

Portrait of William S. Rosecrans.. 64 

Portrait of Earl Van Dorn 65 

Portrait of Admiral Farragut 68 

The Passage of the Big Black River 76 

The Caves near Vicksburg. 81 

Union Monument at Vicksburg. ... 86 

Portrait of Nathaniel P. Banks 87 

View of I^ookout Mountain and 

Valley 89 

Portrait of George H. Thomas. 91 

Portrait of Commodore Porter 92 

Portrait of Jefferson Davis 94 

Portrait of Joseph Hooker 95 

Portrait of Ambrose E. Burnside.. lOO 

The Battle of Lookout Mountain.. 107 

Portrait of James I^ongstreet 112 

Portrait of U. S. Grant, 1S64 115 

Portrait of George G. Meade 130 

Portrait of Rol)ert E. Lee 13J 

Court House, Spottsylvania, Va.. .. 133 

Battle of Spottsylvania CourtHouse 135 

Portrait of Wiufield S. Hancock 140 

Portrait of Geo. B. McClellan 14a 

Portrait of Benjamin F. Butler 143 

Portrait of Philip H.Sheridan 144 

General Grant in the F'ield 147 

Portrait of William T. Sherman... 161 

Portrait of W. J. Hardee 163 

Portrait of J. B. Hood 165 

View of Nashville from the State 

Housq. 170 



387 

401 
403 
44« 
447 
475 



The Confederate Flag ig| 

The House where Lee Surrendered, jm 

The Capitol at Richmond ly^ 

The Surrender of General Lee to 

General Grant |>g 

Portrait of H. W. Bellows, D. D. . ,g6 

Portrait of Vincent Colyer ign 

Map of General Grant's Tour ^^ 

General Grant Entertained by 

Queen Victoria jjy 

View of Edinburg jjj 

A Street Scene in Alexandria 489 

Down the Nile 299 

The Prime Ministers of Europe 317 

Sackville Street, Dublin 351 

Nautch Girls Dancing before Gen- 
eral Grant. . . 

Governor-General's Palace, Cal- 
cutta 

Lord Lytton and Staff, India. . . 

Grant's Arrival at Shanghai 

The Tea Gardens of Shanghai. 

Japanese Shops 

Group of Japanese Women and 

Children 469 

The City of Tokio 504 

Portrait of General Grant, taken in 

San Francisco 533 

Reception by Militia and Citizens, 

San Francisco Jg4 

The Decorations and Arches, San 

Francisco jfy 

Grant's Rooms and Decorations, 

Palace Hotel 573 

Popular Ovation, San Francisco. .. 583 

Down in a Nevada Mine 593 

The \Velcome at Galena, III 617 

On the Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. 641 
General Grant's Residence, Galena, 

111 tf9 

Fac-simile of Commission on the 

Retired List tti 

General Grant's Sickness, A Life 

Sketch.. 6S$ 

General Grant's Residence, N. Y. 685 

Cottage at Mount .N acGregOr 716 

r( inib at Riverside 734 

(16) 



CHAPTER I. 



U. S. GRANT S EARLY DAYS. 



No military man of modern times has accomplished 
as much, with so little ostentation, as he of whom this nar- 
rative is written. From his earliest history until the pres- 
ent time, his deeds, and not his words, have spoken in 
"trumpet tones" for him. On the eve of any important 
movement or action it has been his custom to assemble his 
trusted aids — ask for and listen to their counsels, and, if 
good, adopt their plans — never forgetting to give credit if 
successful, and assuming the blame if failure ensued. He 
was never guilty of petty oppressions to those holding in- 
ferior rank, nor did he ever find it necessary or politic to 
push himself into notoriety, and yet there is no one living 
who possesses more fame and celebrity, or has received 
more marked attention from the world at large. 

Ulysses Simpson Grant was born April 27, 1822, at 
Point Pleasant, Clermont County, Ohio, a small town on 
the Ohio River, twenty-five miles above Cincinnati. The 
Grants are of Scotch descent, and the motto of their clan 
in Aberdeenshire was, " Stand fast, stand firm, stand sure." 
Grant inherits from many of his ancestors a love for free- 
dom and a determination to fight for its cause. In 1799, 
his grandfather, a Pennsylvania farmer, joined the great 
tide of emigration movmg to the Northwest Territory. 

His great grandfather. Captain Noah Grant, of Wind- 
sor, Connecticut, and his brother. Lieutenant Solomon 
3 (17) 



l8 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

Grant, were soldiers 5n the old French war, and were both 
killed in battle in 1756. 

His grandfather, also Noah Grant, of \^'indsor, hurried 
from his fields at the first conflict of the Revolution, and 
appeared as a lieutenant on Lexington Common on the 
morning of the memorable 19th of April, when the em- 
battled farmers "fired the shot heard round the world." 

His father, Jesse R. Grant, was born in Westmoreland 
County, Pennsylvania, in 1794. Was apprenticed to the 
tanner's trade at the early age of eleven years. Removed 
to Mayville, Kentucky, thence to Point Pleasant, Ohio, 
where he followed the business of a tanner. In 1869 he 
was appointed postmaster at Covington, Kentucky, by 
President Grant, and died in 1874. 

General Grant's father married in June, 1821, at Point 
Pleasant, Ohio, Miss Hannah Simpson. She was the 
daughter of John Simpson, and was born in Montgomery 
County, Pennsylvania, but removed with her family in 1818 
to Clermont County. Ten months after marriage their 
first child Ulysses was born. 

Like other great men, Grant had an excellent mother 
— a pious woman, cheerful, unambitious of worldly dis- 
play, watchful of her children, and " looking well to the 
ways of her household." Her husband pays her the high- 
est tribute which can be paid to any wife and mother in 
saying, " Her steadiness, firmness and strength of charac- 
ter have been the stay of the family through life." 

Love of their children has ever been a marked trait in 
the Grant family. 

He was originally christened Hiram Ulysses, his grand- 
father giving the name of Hiram ; his grandmother, who 
was a great student of history, giving the name of Ulysses, 
whose character had strongly attracted her admiration. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



T9 



The member of Congress who appointed Grant to his 
cadetship at West Point when a boy of seventeen, by acci- 
dent changed his name, in filHng his appointment, to U. S. 
Grant, Grant repeatedly endeavored to have the mistake 
corrected at West Point, and at the war department at 
Washington, but this was one of the few things in which 
he failed; his applications were never complied with. As 
if fate foresaw the patriotic duty, the filial love, the tran- 
scendant services he was one day to render his country, 
the government seemed to insist, when adopting him 
among her military children, on renaming him, and giving 
to him her own initials, "U. S.," which he has ever since 
borne. 

As a child, Grant was robust, strong and cool, as he has 
since shown himself. He was neither a precocious nor a 
stupid child; he was a well-behaved, dutiful boy. Heat- 
tended the public school in the village during the winter 
months; he learned well, but was no prodigy. 

He never liked his father's business of tanning. It was 
disagreeable; and he early determined not to follow it. He 
wanted an education. He said he would be a farmer, or 
trade down the river; but a tanner he would not be. 

His father, with limited means, did not feel that, in jus- 
tice to himself and his other children, he could afford the 
money to send Ulysses to college. 

The father of General Grant, in an account of his 
childhood published in the New York Ledger^ gives the 
following interesting narrative. 

"The leading passion of Ulysses, almost from the time 
he could go alone, was for horses. The first time he ever 
drove a horse alone, he was about seven and a half years 
old. I had gone away from home, to Ripley, twelve 
miles oft'. I went in the monaing, and did not get back 



20 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

until night. I owned, at the time, a three-year old colt, 
which had been ridden under the saddle to carry the mail, 
but had never had a collar on. While I was gone, Ulys- 
ses got the colt and put a collar and the harness on him, 
and hitched him up to a sled. Then he put a single line 
on to him, and drove off, and loaded up the sled with 
brush, and came back again. He kept at it, hauling suc- 
cessive loads, all day ; and, when I came home at night, 
he had a pile of brush as big as a cabin. 

"At about ten years of age he used to drive a pair of 
horses alone, from Georgetown, where we lived, forty 
miles, to Cincinnati, and bring back a load of passengers. 

" When Ulysses was a boy, if a circus or any show 
came along, in which there was a call for somebody to 
come forwaixl and ride a pony, he was always the one to 
present himself, and whatever he undertook to ride he 
rode. This practice he kept up until he got to be so large 
that he was ashamed to ride a pony. 

"Once, when he was a boy, a show came along in 
which there was a mischievous pony, trained to go round 
the ring like lightning, and he was expected to throw any 
boy that attemjDted to ride him. 

"'Will any boy come forward and ride this pony?' 
shouted the ring master. 

"Ulysses stepped forward, and mounted the pony. 
The performance began. Round and round and round 
the ring went the pony, faster and faster, making the 
greatest effort to dismount the rider, but Ulysses sat as 
steady as if he had grown to the pony's back. Presently 
out came a large monkey, and sprang up behind Ulysses. 
The people set up a great shout of laughter, and on the 
pony ran; but it all produced no effect on the rider. Then 
the ring-master made the monkey jump up on to Ulysses' 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 21 

shoulders, standing with his feet on his shoulders, and with 
his hands holding on to his hair. At this there was an- 
other and a still louder shout, but not a muscle of Ulysses' 
face moved. There was not a tremor of his nerves. A 
few more rounds, and the ring-master gave it up; he had 
come across a boy that the pony and the monkey both 
could not dismount." 

It appears that when he was twelve years of age, his 
father sent him to a neighboring farmer, a Mr. Ralston, to 
close the bargain for a horse which he was wishing to pur- 
chase. Before Ulysses started, his father said to him, — 

"You can tell Mr. Ralston that I have sent you to buy 
the horse, and that I will give him fifty dollars for it. If 
he will not take that, you may oflfer him fifty-five; and I 
should be willing to go as high as sixty, rather than not 
get the horse." 

This is essentially an old story, probably having a mere 
foundation in fact; but the peculiarity in this case was, that 
when Ralston asked Ulysses directly, "How much did 
your father say you might give for the horse?" he did not 
know how to prevaricate, but replied, honestly and em- 
phatically, — 

"Father told me to offer you fifty dollars at first; if 
that would not do, to give you fifty-five dollars; and that 
lie would be willing to give sixty, rather than not get the 
horse." 

Of course, Ralston could not sell the horse for less than 
sixty dollars. 

"I am sorry for that," returned Grant, "for, on looking 
at the horse, I have determined not to givejtnore than fifty 
dollars for it, although father said I might give sixty. 
You may take fifty if you like, or you may keep the 
horse." 



23 ftENERAI. U. S. GRANt's 

Mr. Ralston took the fifty dollars, and Ulysses rode 
the horse home. 

The father also tells the followinof incident, in which 
one can trace the same quiet, fixed resolution, which is 
such a strong feature in his character in his later years. 
The son possessed his father's unbounded confidence in his 
ability to take care of himself. When Ulysses was but 
twelve years of age, his father sent him to Louisville alone. 
Of this trip his father says : 

"It was necessary for me to have a deposition taken 
there, to be used in a lawsuit in which I was engaged in 
the State of Connecticut. I had written more than once 
about it to my lawyers, but could not get the business 
done. ' I can do it,' said Ulysses. So I sent him on the 
errand alone. Before he started, I gave him an open letter 
that he might show the captain of the boat, or any one 
else, if he should have occasion, stating that he was my 
son, and was going to Louisville on my business. Going 
down, he happened to meet a neighbor with whom he 
was acquainted; so he had no occasion to use the letter. 
But when he came on board a boat to return, the captain 
asked him who he was. He told him; but the captain 
answered, 'I cannot take you; you may be running away.' 
Ulysses then produced my letter, which put everything 
right; and the captain not only treated him with great 
kindness, but took so much interest in him as to invite him 
to go as far as Mayville with him, where he had relatives 
living, free of expense. He brought back the deposition 
with him, and that enabled me to succeed in making a 
satisfactory adjustment of my suit." 



CHAPTER II. 

AT WEST POINT. 

When a young man, it was Giant's earnest desire to 
secure a collegiate education. As has been stated in the 
previous chapter, his father's limited means presented an 
almost insurmountable obstacle to the acquirement of more 
than a common school education. Under these circum- 
stances but one way suggested itself to the youthful Grant, 
and that was by adopting the profession of arms, and ob- 
taining an appointment of cadet at West Point. He knew 
that at this school, not only was education gratuitous, but 
that during his course the student was supported well and 
paid a regular sum, which was more than enough for the 
ordinary expenses of a student at college. There was 
also, after graduation, a field open to him either to remain 
in the army, or to engage in engineering or industrial 
pursuits. 

In the year 1839 his father secured, through the influ- 
ence of General Thomas L. Hamer, then a member of 
Congress from the district, an appointment as cadet at 
West Point. Grant was at this time but seventeen years 
of age. It is somewhat remarkable that without any pre- 
paratory study he was able to pass the rigid examination 
which all cadets are obliged to undergo. He was admitted 
into the fourth class, where his studies consisted of mathe- 
matics, English grammar, — including etymological and 
rhetorical exercises, composition, declamations, geog- 
raphy, French, and the use of small arms. 

(23) 



N 



24 



GENERAI- U, S. GRANT S 



During a part of the summer, the cadets at West Point 
go into camp, Hving in tents as if " on the field." Young 
Grant ranked during his first year as a private of the 
battalion, and enjoyed the privileges and had to submit to 
all the trials that privates in camp have to suffer. During 
the year 1840 he was advanced into the third class. His 
studies consisted of the higher mathematics, French, draw- 
ing, and the duties of a cavalry soldier. He was also ad- 
vanced to the rank of corporal in the cadet battalion. 





WEST I'UIM". 



During 184 1 Cadet Grant entered the second class at 
the United States ISlilitary school, advancing to the rank 
of a sergeant in the battalion of cadets. The studies of 
this class he found were somewhat more laborious, yet his 
progress here, as in his previous studies, was stead}' — not 
rapid, but of the sure kind — mastering thoroughly all that 
he undertook, holding firmly on to all that he acquired. 
He never fell back; was ever found faithful in every duty, 
receiving the approbation of his teachers, and the friend- 



LIFE AND SKKVICES. 25 

ship of his associates. In this class his studies embraced 
natural and experimental philosophy, chemistry and draw- 
ing, and practical instruction in horsemanship, and during 
the summer encampment was well drilled in both infantry 
and artillery tactics. Passing out of this class with credit, 
he entered the first or senior class in 1842. In the battalion 
of cadets he ranked as a commissioned officer, learning here 
how to command a section, troop or company. In this 
class he engaged in acquiring the knowledge of civil and 
military engineering, in the study of ethics; constitutional, 
military and international law; in mineralogy and geology, 
and the Spanish language. He was also thoroughly drilled 
in infantry, artillery and cavalry tactics; in the use of rifled, 
mortar, siege and seacoast guns; in small sword and bayonet 
exercise, as well as in the construction of field works and 
fortifications, and in the fabrication of munitions and mate- 
rial of war. 

Thus he received at West Point the best education 
a man can receive, namely, that which fits him for his 
work in life. He was subjected to a course of physical 
training which invigorated his body. Young Grant ap- 
preciated and improved all the opportunities which were 
oflfered to him. He gave these years diligently to self- 
improvement in the widest sense. He graduated in June, 
1S43, with a good rank in his class, and, what was better, 
without vices which enfeebled his body, or mental habits 
which depraved his mind. It may not be uninteresting to 
the reader to know who General Grant's fellow graduates 
were, and what their relative positions were at the close of 
the civil war. There were in the graduating class of 1S43 
thirty-nine graduates. Grant standing the twenty-first on 
the list. The grade and brief biography of each at above 
date was as follows : 



26 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

The cadet who stood first in the class was William 
Benjamin Franklin, who entered the Topographical Engi- 
neer Corps; and having passed through a series of adven- 
tures under various commandei's was, at the beginning 
of 1864, the general commanding the Nineteenth Army- 
Corps, in the Department of the Gulf, under General 
Banks. 

The names of -the next three graduates do not now ap- 
pear in the army list of the United States. 

William F. Raynolds ranked fifth in the class, entered 
the infantry service, and was appointed an aide on the staflf 
of General Fremont, commanding the Mountain Depart- 
ment, with the rank of colonel, from the 31st of March, 
1862. 

The next graduate was Isaac F. Quinby. He had en- 
tered the artillery service, and had been professor at West 
Point, but had retired to civil life. The rebellion, how- 
ever, brought him from his retirement, and he went to the 
field at the head of a regiment of New York volunteers. 
He afterward became a brigadier-general in the Army of 
the Potomac. 

Roswell S. Ripley, the author of " The War with 
Mexico," stood seventh ; but his name did not appear in 
the official Army Register of the United States, as he had 
attached himself to the rebel cause. 

The next graduate was John James Peck, who entered 
the artillery service, and was, on Jan. i, 1864, the com- 
mander of the district of and army in North Carolina, 
which then formed a portion of General Butler's Depart- 
ment. 

John P. Johnstone, the daring artillery lieutenant who 
fell gallantly at Contreras, Mexico, was the next graduate. 

General Joseph Jones Reynolds was the next in grade. 



LIFE AND SERVICES, 37 

This officer had gained great credit while in tlie army, as 
a professor of sciences; but had resigned some time, when 
the RebelHon broke out. He was, however, in 1861, again 
brought forward as a general of three months' volunteers, 
under General McClellan, in Western Virginia; was after- 
ward commissioned by the President; and latterly became 
attached to the Army of the Cumberland. He served on 
the staff of the general commanding that army, with the 
rank of major-general, until General Grant assumed com- 
mand of the military division embracing the Departments 
of Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland, when he was trans- 
ferred to New Orleans. 

The eleventh graduate \vas James Allen Hardie, who, 
during the War of the Rebellion, became an assistant ad- 
jutant-general of the Army of the Potomac, with the rank 
of colonel. 

Henry F. Clarke graduated twelfth, entered the artil- 
lery service, gained brevets in Mexico, and became chief 
commissary of the Army of the Potomac, during the War 
of the Rebellion, with the rank of colonel. 

Lieutenant Booker, the next in grade, died while in 
service at San Antonio, Texas, on June 36, 1S49. 

The fourteenth graduate might have been a prominent 
officer of the United States army, had he not deserted the 
cause of his country, and attached himself to the Confeder- 
ates. He had not even the excuse of "going with his 
State," for he was a native of New Jersey, and was ap- 
pointed to the army from that State. His name is Samuel 
G. French, major-general of the rebel army. 

The next graduate was Lieutenant Theodore L. Chad- 
bourne, who was killed in the battle of Resaca de la Palma, 
on May 9, 1846, after distinguishing himself for his bravery 
at the head of his command. 



38 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

Christopher Colon Augur, one of the commanders of 
the Department of Washington, and major-general of vol- 
unteers, was the next in grade. 

Franklin Gardner, a native of New York, and an ap- 
pointee from the State of Iowa, graduated seventeenth in 
General Grant's class. At the time of the Rebellion he 
desei'ted the cause of the United States and joined the Con- 
federates. He was disgracefully dropped from the rolls of 
the United States army, on May 7, 1S61, became a major- 
general in the Confederate service, and surrendered his 
garrison at Port Hudson, July 9, 1863, through the reduc- 
tion of Vicksburg by his junior graduate, U. S. Grant. 

Lieutenant George Stevens, who was drowned in the 
passage of the Rio Grande, May 18, 1846, was the next 
graduate. 

The nineteenth graduate was Edmund B, Holloway, of 
Kentucky, who ol)tained a bre\et at Contreras, and was a 
captain of infantry ni the United States regular army at the 
commencement of the Rebellion. Although his State re- 
mained in the Union, he threw up his commission on May 
14, 1 86 1, and joined the Confederates. 

The graduate that immediately preceded General Grant 
was Lieutenant Lewis Neill, who died on January 13, 1850, 
while in service at Fort Croghan, Texas. 

General U. S. Grant was the next or twenty-first 
graduate. 

Joseph H. Potter, of New Hampshire, graduated next 
after the hero of Vicksburg. During the War of the Re- 
bellion he became a colonel of volunteers, retaining his 
rank as captain in the regular army. 

Lieutenant Robert Hazlitt, who was killed in the storm- 
ing of Monterey, Sept. 3i, 1846, and Lieutenant Edwin 
Howe, who died while in service at Fort Leavenworth, 
March 31, 1850, were the next two graduates. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 29 

Lafayette Boyer Wood, of Virginia, was the twenty- 
fifth graduate. He is no longer connected with the ser- 
vice, having resigned several years before the civil war. 

The next graduate was Charles S. Hamilton, who for 
some time commanded, as major-general of volunteers, a 
district under General Grant. 

Captain William K. Van Bokkelen, of New York, who 
was cashiered for rebel proclivities, on May 8, 1S61, was 
tlie next graduate, and was followed by Alfred St. Amand 
Crozet, of New York, who had resigned the service sev- 
eral years before the breaking out of the civil war, and 
Lieutenant Charles E. James, who died at Sonoma, Cal., 
on June 8, 1849. 

The thirtieth graduate was the gallant General Fred- 
erick Steele, who participated in the Vicksburg and Mis- 
sissippi campaigns, as division and corps commander under 
General Grant, and afterward commanded the Army of 
Arkansas. 

The next graduate was Captain Henry R. Selden, of 
Vermont, and of the Fifth U. S. Infantry. 

General Rufus Ingalls, quartermaster-general of the 
Army of the Potomac, graduated No. 32. 

Major Frederick T. Dent, of the Fourth U. S. Infantry, 
and Major J. C. McFerran, of the Quartermaster's Depart- 
ment, were the next two graduates. 

The thirty-fifth graduate was General Henry Moses 
Judah, who commanded a division of the Twenty-Third 
Army Corps during its operations after the Confederate 
cavalry general, John H. Morgan, and in East Tennessee, 
during the fall of 1S63. 

The remaining four graduates were Norman Elting, 
who resigned the service October 29, 1S46; Cave J. Couts, 
who was a member of the State Constitutional Com ention 



30 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

of California during the year 1849; Charles G. Merchant, 
of New York; and George C. McClelland, of Pennsyl- 
vania, no one of whom was at this time connected with 
the United States Service. 

The admirers of General Grant will take no little in- 
terest in examining the above list and tracing the career 
of the twenty-first graduate in his outstripping all his 
seniors in grade. Having surmounted all difficulties, he 
commanded, at the close of the war, a larger force and a 
greater extent of territory than all of his thirty-eight class- 
mates put together, and had risen higher in the military 
scale than any in his class, notwithstanding the fact that he 
showed at West Point none of that brilliancy and dash 
which is thought so much of by collegiates. 

Henry Coppee, Esq., who was with young Grant for 
two years, at West Point Academy, gives the following 
account of him while there: 

"I remember him as a plain, common-sense, straight- 
forward youth; quiet, rather of the old-head-on-young- 
shoulders order; shunning notoriety; quite contented, 
while others were grumbling; taking to his military duties 
in a very business-like manner; not a prominent man in 
the corps, but respected by all, and very popular with his 
friends. His sobriquet of Uncle Sam was given to him 
there, where every good fellow has a nickname, from these 
very qualities; indeed, he was a very uncle-like sort of a 
youth. He was then and always an excellent horseman, 
and his picture rises before me as I write, in the old, torn 
coat, obsolescent leather gig-top, loose riding pantaloons, 
with spurs buckled over them, going with his clanking sabre 
to the drill hall. He exhibited but little enthusiasm in any- 
thing; his best standing was in the mathematical branches, 
and their application to tactics and military engineering. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 3I 

« If we again dwell upon the fact that no one, even of 
his most intimate friends, dreamed of a great future for 
him, it is to add that, looking back now, we must confess 
that the possession of many excellent qualities, and the 
entire absence of all low and mean ones, establish a logical 
sequence from first to last, and illustrate, in a novel man- 
ner, the poet's fancy about 

'The baby figures of the giant mass 
Of things to come at lai-ge.' " 



CHAPTER III. 

ENTERS THE ARMY — THE MEXICAN WAR, 

On leaving West Point Grant entered the United States 
army as a brevet second lieutenant in the Fourth Infantry 
— the date at which this brevet rank was awarded to him 
was that of the succeeding day to his graduation, viz.: 
July I, 1S43. Lieutenant Grant's regiment was at this time 
stationed on the frontier in Missouri and Missouri Terri- 
tory, among the Indians who were at that time very 
annoying and dangerous to the early settlers of that region. 
He remained nearly two years, when in 1S45 he was 
ordered, with his regiment, to Corpus Christi, Texas, 
where United States troops were gathering under com- 
mand of General Taylor. 

Corpus Christi was an important town on the Texas 
shore, and was taken possession of by the Americans as a 
base of operations. While stationed here Grant received 
his commission as full second lieutenant of infantry. The 
commission was dated September 30, 1845, and was made 
out to fill a vacancy in the Second U. S. Infantry. Having 
become so attached to the officers and men of the Fourth, 
a request was forwarded to Washington to allow him to 
remain with his old company, and in the following Novem- 
ber he received a commission appointing him a full second 
lieutenant in the Fourth Infantry. 

Some time before the declaration by Congress of war 
with Mexico^ the struggle commenced in Texas. The bill 

(32) 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



33 



annexing Texas to the Union having been passed three 
days before the Tyler administration closed. The State 
was originally a part of Mexico. It had been largely settled 
by citizens of the United States. 

The people rebelled and seceded from Mexico under 
the leadership of General Sam Houston. The battle of San 




GEN. SAM HOUSTON. 

Jacinto resulted in the capture of the President of INIexico, 
General Santa Anna. General Houston making his rele;ise 
the recognition of the independence of Texas, this condition 
was complied with. Not long thereafter Texas asked to 
be annexed to the United States. The war between I^Iex- 
ico and the United States grew out of the annexation of 



34 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

Texas largely, and the desire of the South for an enlarged 
area — the North, on the other hand, bitterly opposing it 
because the area of slavery would be extended thereby. 

The Americans and Mexicans were facing each other 
upon the opposite banks of the Rio Grande. Several 
petty struggles ensued before the actual declaration of war. 
General Taylor learned that a large force of Mexicans were 
marching with the intention of crossing the river into 
Texas. At *Fort Brown, opposite Matamoras, there was 
a small garrison of United States troops. The Mexicans 
besieged this fort. After a severe bombardment they 
crossed the river six thousand strong to attack the fort in 
front and rear. The gallant garrison defended the posi- 
tion with great bravery. Major Brown, who was in com- 
mand of the fort, signaled General Taylor then at Point 
Isabel, twelve miles distant, of his peril by firing during the 
night eighteen pounders at stated intervals. Early on the 
morning of the 8th of May, 1846, General Taylor, with 
3200 men, set out to rescue his comrades. Lieutenant 
Grant was then with General Taylor, and marched to his 
first battle ground. At about noon of the same day the 
American troops encountered the Mexicans at Palo Alto, 
where they were drawn up in line of battle, to dispute the 
further advance of the Americans. General Taylor 
promptly accepted battle and defeated the enemy, mainly 
through the efficiency of his artillery. Lieutenant Grant, 
though not mentioned in the official reports, has been 
spoken of by his companions as acting with great bravery. 
Several of the officers of his regiment received brevets for 
their gallant and meritorious conduct. The Mexican loss 
had been 262, while the Americans had lost but four killed 
and thirty-two wounded. 

During the night the ISIexicans retreated to a new and 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



35 



formidable position a few miles in the rear, called Resaca 
de la Palma, having left their dead and wounded upon the 
battle field at Palo Alto. On the following morning Gen- 
eral Taylor attacked the new position of the Mexicans, 
opening the battle with artillery, following with charges of 
infantry and cavalry. Though the Mexicans stubbornly 
defended their position, they were no match for the 
more intelligent and better disciplined Americans. They 
were soon put to flight, having lost in killed and wounded 
a thousand men. The American loss did not exceed 150. 
Fort Brown was relieved, the enemy retreating in great 
disorder across the Rio Grande. 

The American army then advanced up the left bank 
of the Rio Grande, a distance of 150 miles, where they 
crossed the river and marched upon Monterey, in the 
Republic of New Leon, which was garrisoned by 10,000 
Mexican troops. The army under Taylor comprised 6,330 
men. Arriving before the city on Sunday morning, Sep- 
tember 20, a careful reconnoissance showed that the place 
had been strongly fortified; but General Taylor determined 
to drive the enemy out of their entrenchments, and suc- 
ceeded after a terrible and bloody conflict, which continued 
with but few inter- 
missions until the 
24tli, when the city 
capitulated. The 
Fourth Infantry, 
to which Grant was 
attached, in an at- 
tempt to capture Fort Teneria, lost two-thirds of their 
numbers. The American army lost heavilv; 43 officers 
and 517 men were killed and wounded. 

About this time a combined movement of the army 




ROUTE OF THE U. S. ARMY FROM VERA CRUZ TO MEXICO, 



36 



GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 



and navy had been jDlanned by way of Vera Cruz. General 
Scott having effected a landing above Vera Cruz, a por- 
tion of the forces on the Rio Grande was sent down the 
river to co-operate with him, and among others was 
Lieutenant Grant, who accompanied the Fourth Infantry, 
and participated in the siege operations which eventually 
caused the surrender of Vera Cruz — March 29, 1S47. On 
the first day of April he was appointed regimental quarter- 
master, a post of recognized importance and responsibility. 
Lieutenant Grant held this position during the rest of 
the war. 

Though it is customary 
for the quartermaster of 
a regiment to remain with 
the regiment's trains of 
supplies during an en- 
gagement, yet his nature 
^^v was such that he could 
l^^ not keep out of an en- 
gagement, and always re- 
joined his regiment on 
such occasions and shared 
their fighting. At the 
battle of Molino del Rey, 
fought Sept. S, 1847, he 
beRaved with such distinguished gallantry and merit that 
he was appointed a full first lieutenant, to date from the 
day of the battle. In the fierce battle of ChapultejDec, on 
the 13th of September, he won the high approval of his 
superior officers for his distinguished gallantry, and the 
sagacity of his tactics while under fire — for his brave and 
meritorious conduct he received the brevet of Captain of 
the Regular Army. In Capt, Horace Brooks' report of the 




WINFIELD SCOTT IN 1S65. 



LIFE AND SF:I{ VICES. 37 

(operations of the Second Artillery at Chapultepec, he says: 

" I succeeded in reaching the fort witli a few men. Here Lieut. 
U. S. Grant and a few more men of the Fourth Infantry found me, 
and, by a joint movement, after an obstinate re sistance, a strong field- 
work was carried, and tlic enemy's right was completely turned." 

The report of Major Francis Lee, commanding the 
Fourth Infantry, of the battle of Chapultepec, says: 

" At the first barrier the enemy was in strong force, which ran- 
dcred it necessary to advance with caution. This was done, and 
when the head of the battalion was within short musket range of 
the barrier, Lieut. Grant, Fourth Infantry, and Capt. Brooks, Second 
Artillery, with a few men of their respective regiments, by a hand- 
some movement to the left, turned the right flfank of the enemy, and 
the barrier was carried.* * * Second-Lieut. Grant behaved with 
distinguished gallantry on the 13th and 14th.'' * * * 

The report of Brevet Colonel John Garland, command- 
ing the First Brigade, of the battle of Chapultepec, says: 

"The rear of the enemy had made a stand behind a breastwork, 
from which they were driven by detachments of the Second Artil- 
lery, under Capt. Brooks, and the Fourth Infantry under Lieut. 
Grant, supported by other regiments of the division, after a short, 
sharp conflict. I recognized the command as it came up, mounted 
a howitzer on the top of a convent, which, under the direction of 
Lieut. Grant, Quartermaster of the Fourth Infantry, and Lieut. 
Lendrum, Third Artillery, annoyed the enemy considerably. * * * 
I must not omit to call attention to Lieut. Gi ant, who acquitted him- 
self most nobly upon several occasions under my observation." 

General Worth, in his report of September i6, says: 

" I have again to make acknowledgements to Colonels Garland 
and Clarke, brigade commanders, as also to their respective staffs; to 
S. Smith, Haller, and Grant^ Fourth Infantry, especially." 

Upon the fall of Mexico, and the peace which ensued, 
1848, the United States troops were recalled, the Fourth 
Infantry being first sent to New York and then to the 



38 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

frontier, Captain Grant going with his company first to 
Detroit and then to Sacketts Harbor. This year he mar- 
ried Miss Julia Dent, the sister of one of his classmates at 
West Point. 

The discovery of gold in California, in the autumn of 
1 85 1, carried to that region an immense emigration, many 
of whom were desperate, vile and reckless, making it 
necessary to dispatch more troops in order to protect the 




^ V 7*^ 









GENERAL SCOTT S ENTRY INTO MEXICO. 

crowds of emigrants from the Indians, who had been pro- 
voked by the lawlessness of the whites to the most cruel 
reprisals. The battalion to which Captain Grant was 
attached was sent into Oregon, taking up its quarters at 
Fort Dallas in that distant territory. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 39 

In 1853, after a two-years' absence from his family, 
finding garrison life in that lonely region olTercd no oppor- 
tunities of usefulness, he determined to resign his commis- 
sion — having been promoted to a full captaincy' — which he 
did on the 31st day of July, 1854, and commenced life as 
a private citizen, taking up his residence on a small farm 
near St. Louis, remaining there engaged in commercial 
pursuits until the year 1S59, when he entered into partner- 
ship with his father in the leather trade at Galena, 111. 
The firm of Grant & Son soon became a very prosperous 
concern, and at the outbreak of the Rebellion, to all 
appearances Captain Grant had one of the best business 
prospects of any one in Galena, 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE CIVIL WAR — MADE A BRIGADIER GENERAL. 

Captain Grant was residing at Galena on the I3th ef 
April, 1 86 1. The "first shot" at Fort Sumter moved him 
to the utmost depths of his being, and his loyal spirit was 
roused to its utmost intensity. He said to a friend: •« The 
government educated me for the army. What I am, I owe 
to my country. I have served her through one war, and, 
live or die, will serve her through this." Going into the 
streets of Galena he found no difficulty in raising a com- 
pany of volunteers; he tendered his and their services to 
the Governor of the State of Illinois. His zeal and straight- 
forward manner so impressed Governor Yates that he at 
once made him Adjutant-General of the State. His famil- 
iarity with military regulations and the routine of military 
life enabled him to render efficient service in organizing 
the several camps that were being formed at different points. 
It was owing to his zeal and indomitable labors as muster- 
ing officer that Illinois was enabled to turn out so many 
men as she did at the early stages of the war. One of the 
Illinois regiments having a vacant colonelcy, the position 
was offered to and at once accepted by Grant, his commis- 
sion dating from June 15, 1S61. 

The following letter by General Grant to his father-in- 
law, Frederick Dent, then of St. Louis, is of S2:)ecial interest. 
It shows General Grant's loyalty and unwavering devotion to 

(40) 



Life and skk vices. 



41 



the Union. This letter was first publlshcil on April 13, 1SS5, 
just twenty-four years after the surrender of Fort iSuniter. 




FORT SUMTER IN 1861. 

Extracts from an editmial in the A^. 7^. Tribune of Ajoril 
14, 18S5, commentin;^ on this letter, are also gi\'en: 

Galena, April 19, 1861. 
Mr. F. Dext— 

Dear Sir : — I have but very little time to write, but, as in these 
exciting times we are very anxious to hear from you, and know of no 
other way but by writing first to you, I must make time. 

We get but little news by telegraph from St. Louis, but from all 
other points of the country we are hearing all the time. The times 
are indeed startling, but now is the time, particularly in the border 
slave States, for men to prove their love of country. I know it is 
hard for men to apparently' work with the Republican party, but now 



42 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



all party distinctions should be lost sight of, and every true patriot be 
for maintaining the integrity of the glorious old Stars and Stripes, the 
Constitution and the Union. The North is responding to the 
President's call in such a manner that the Rebels may truly quake. 
I tell you, there is no mistaking the feelings of the people. The Gov- 
ernment can call into the field not only 75,000 troops, but ten or 
twenty times 75,000 if it should be necessary, and find the means of 
maintaining them, too. 

It is all a mistake about the Northern pocket being so sensitive. 
In times like the present, no people are more ready to give their own 
time, or of their abundant means. No impartial man can conceal 
from himself the fact that in all these troubles the Southerners have 
been the aggressors and the Administration has stood purely on the 
defensive, more on the defensive than she would have dared to have 
done but for her consciousness of strength and the certainty of right 
prevailing in the end. The news to-day is that Virginia has gone 
N out of the Union. But for the influence she will have on the other 
border slave Slates, this is not much to be regretted. Her position, 
or rather that of Eastern Virginia, has been more reprehensible from 
the beginning than that of South Carolina. She should be made to 
bear a heavy portion of the burden of the war for her guilt. 

In all this I can but see the doom of slavery. The North does not 
want, nor will they want, to interfere with the institution ; but they 
will refuse for all time to give it protection unless the South shall re- 
turn soon to their allegiance; and then, too, this disturbance will give 
such an impetus to the production of their staple, cotton, in other parts 
of the world that they can never recover the control of the market again 
for that commodity. This will reduce the value of the negroes so much 
that they will never be worth fighting over again. 

I have just received a letter from Fred (Frederick Dent, Jr.) He 
breathes forth the most patriotic sentiments. He is for the old flag 
as long as there is a Union of two States fighting under its banner, . 
and when they dissolve, he will go it alone. This is not his language, 
but it is the idea, not so well exjiressed as he expresses it. 

Julia and the children are well, and join me in love to yott all. I 
forgot to mention that Fred has anotlier heir, with some novel name 
that I have forgotten. Yours truly, U. S. Grant. 

The Tribune says: 
" It is a peculiarly important and timely contribution to history. It 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



43 



was written by a Democrat to a Democrat, at a time wlien Demo 
cratic Governors in border States were insultingly replying to the 
President's proclamation, and refusing troops for what they called "an 
abolition war," or " the coercion of sister States." The language of 
the Mugwumps of that day may be profitably contrasted with the 
private letter of the true patriot, who little dreamed then how large 
was to be his part in the suppression of the rebellion. 

" This letter comes in time to correct many impressions as to the 
career of the great soldier and ex-President. It has been commonly 
thought that he entered the service as a soldier rather than as a 
patriot, with not very clearly defined political opinions, but with a 
clear idea tliat it was his duty as a soldier to defend the flag of his coun- 
try, and that his political convictions were mainly formed by inter- 
course with others, and by the progress of events in later life. His 
letter of 1861, on the contrary, proves that he had most clearly-de- 
fined convictions in regard to the question of slavery, the right and 
wrong of the struggle, and the aggressive spirit of the slave power, 
even before he had offered his services to his countrj-. He was men- 
tally a larger and broader man, prior to the war, than the Nation has 
been prone to suppose, and it is easy to see how, beginning to " work 
with the Republican party," only as a matter of duty, he soon found 
its convictions wholly in accord with his own. Shortly after this let- 
ter was written, he began that active life which has resulted so grandly 
for his country and so gloriously for himself." 

Captain Grant at once joined his regiment, then organ- 
izing at Mattoon, Illinois. Attending personally to their 
drill and equipment, he soon raised the regiment to a state 
of discipline rarely attained in the volunteer service. Soon 
after. Colonel Grant and his regiment were removed across 
the Mississippi River into Missouri, and formed part of the 
guard of the Hannibal and Hudson Railroad line, extend- 
ing across the State from the Mississippi River to St. Joseph 
on the Missouri. On the 31st of July Colonel Grant was 
placed in command of the troops at Mexico, Missouri. His 
force at this time was attached to General Pope's command. 
There were various movements made by Colonel Grant's 
regiment of local importance, such as fortifying and garri- 



44 



GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 



soiling Pilot Knob, Ironton and Marble Creek. These 
movements occupied most of the time until the latter part 
of August, 1861, at which time he was detached from his 
regimental command and promoted to the rank of Briga- 
dier-General of volunteers, his commission dating from 
May 17, 1 86 1, being placed in command of the important 
post at Cairo, Illinois. 



CHAPTER V. 

BELMONT, FORT HENRY, AND FORT DONELSON. 

The post of Cairo included within its jurisdiction both 
banks of the Mississippi from Cape Girardeau to New- 
Madrid, and the whole of Western Kentucky on the Ohio 
River, Its importance as a strategic point is evident at a 
glance; situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and 
Ohio Rivers, it is the natural base for a military movement 
upon the South, as also as a defensive military position, 
It is said that in the first consultation General Scott had 
with Mr. Lincoln's cabinet at the opening of the war, he 
placed his finger on the map at Cairo and spoke of it as in 
every way one of the most important points in the country 
as a base of supplies, and for military operations. 

At the time of General Grant's taking command at 
Cairo, the State of Kentucky had assumed a nominal neu- 
trality, the secession element was very strong and at many 
points the rebel forces were received with joyous welcome, 
while everything was done to prevent the progress of the" 
Union armies. The Confederates had seized Hickman, 
Bowling Green, Columbus, fortified Fort Henry com- 
manding the Tennessee River, and Fort Donelson on the 
Cumberland River. As soon as Grant found out that the 
rebels had encroached upon Kentucky, he ordered the 
seizure of Paducah, a valuable port at the mouth of the 
Tennessee River. At the time of taking possession of 
Paducah Grant found secession flags flying in various 

(45) 



aS general u. s. grant s 

parts of the city, in expectation of the speedy arrival of 
the rebel forces. Occupying the telegraph office, hospitals 
and all points of importance, he issued the following procla- 
mation to the citizens: 

Paducah, Ky., September 6, iS6i. 
To THE Citizens of Paducah: — I am come among you, not as an 
enemy, but as your fellow citizen ; not to maltreat you nor annoy you, 
but to respect and enforce the rights of all loyal citizens. An enemy, 
in rebellion against our common government, has taken possession of, 
and planted its guns on the soil of Kentucky, and fired upon you. 
Columbus and Hickman are in his hands. He is moving upon your 
city. I am here to defend you against this enemy, to assist the au- 
thority and sovereignty of your government. / /lave nothing to do 
-with opinions, and shall deal only with armed rebellion and its aiders 
.and abettors. You can pursue your usual avocations without fear. 
The strong arm of the government is here to protect its friends and 
punish its enemies. Whenever it is manifest that you are able to de- 
fend yourselves, and maintain the authority of the government, and 
protect the rights of loyal citizens, I shall withdraw the forces under 
my command. 

U. S. Grant, Brigadier-General^Cotnmandi7ig. 

This proclamation is of importance as being the first 
public expression of one who has shown that in statesman- 
ship he is as reliable as in war. Its tone was admirable, 
and represented the spirit of the Union people. 

Following up the occupation of Paducah, General Grant 
advanced and occupied Smithland, at the mouth of the 
Cumberland River, thus eflfectually blockading the entrance 
to or emergence from the rebel States by those important 

streams. 

The Confederates had assembled in great force at Col- 
umbus, on the Kentucky shore of the Mississippi below 
Cairo, and were sending their forces across the river to 
General Price at Belmont, Missouri. It is not the purpose 
of this biography to give a history of the movements of 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 47 

the army generally, only touching briefly the movements 
in which General Grant was personally concerned. 

On the evening of November 6, General Grant in per- 
son, with three thousand one liundrcd and fourteen men em- 
barked on transports, convoyed by two gunboats, proceeded 
down the river and landed near Belmont on the west bank 
just outside the range of the Confederate batteries at Colum- 
bus. General Grant in a letter to his father, states that: 
"The object of the expedition was to prevent the enemy 
from sending a force into Missouri to cut off troops I had 
sent there for a special purpose, and to prevent reinforcing 
Price." 

On the morning of November 7, General Grant formed 
Iiis small force into line of battle and immediately attacked 
the rebel force under General Cheatham, driving them 
from their camp and capturing a battery of twelve guns; 
the camp was then burned, and the enemy's baggage and 
horses taken. Belmont, being situated on low ground, 
was commanded by the batteries on the bluffs at Columbus 
and could be made untenable at any time. Grant, seeing 
this, and the Confederates having sent over large bodies of 
troops from Columbus, and reinforced those at Belmont, 
making the enemy numerically stronger than the Union 
troops, concluded to withdraw his little army to his trans- 
ports, the retreat being covered by the ordnance of the gun- 
boats. In this engagement there were y,ooo Confederates, 
and 2,850 Union troops. Confederate loss was S75, Union 
loss 400. After his return to Cairo with his forces, General 
Grant issued the following order congratulating his troops: 

Headquarters District of Southeast Missouri, 
Cairo, November 6, 1S61. 
The General commanding this military district, returns his thanks 
to the troops under his command at the battle of Belmont on 
yesterday. 



48 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



It has been his fortune to have been in all the battles fought in 
Mexico by Generals Scott and Taylor, save Buena Vista, and he 
never saw one more hotly contested, or vi^here troops behaved with 
more gallantry. 

Such courage will insure victory wherever our flag may be borne 
and protected by such a class of men. 

To the brave men who fell, the sympathy of the country is due, and 
■will be manifested in a manner unmistakable. 

U. S. Grant, Brigadier-General Cotntnanding. 

General Halleck, at this time commanding the Depart- 
ment of the Missouri, appreciating the military ability 




INTERIOR OF FORT HENRY. 



of General Grant in reorganizing his department into 
proper military districts, issued an order constituting the 
" District of Cairo," and extending the command until it 
became one of the largest divisions in the country, appoint- 
ing General Grant to be the chief in command. 

General Grant at once began organizing the new troops 
added to iiis command. On January 15 he made a strong 
reconnoissance from Paducah toward Columbus and other 
points in Kentucky; having ascertained and accomplished 
all that he desired, he withdrew his forces to Cairo. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 49 

Strongly impressed with the importance of driving the 
rebels from the State of Kentucky, General Grant visited 
General Halleck and asked permission to undertake the 
capture of Forts Henry and Donelson. On the 30th 
day of January he received the desired permission, and 
within three days, with the aid of Commodore Foote, a 
combined naval and land expedition set out for Fort Henry, 
ninety miles above the mouth of the Tennessee River. The 
land forces consisted of 17,000 men under General Grant, 
and a fleet of seven gunboats, four of which were iron- 
clad, under command of Commodore A. H. Foote. 

On the morning of February 6, 1862, the gunboats 
opened fire upon the Fort. After about two hours and a 
quarter's engagement the rebels, finding that their line of 
retreat was cut off by the Union troops, who had been 
landed about four miles below the fort, intending to attack 
the fort in the rear, while the gunboats attacked the front, 
lowered their flag and surrendered before the military 
forces could arrive. General Grant arriving within an hour 
after it had capitulated, when Commodore Foote turned 
over the captured fort and prisoners to the army. General 
Grant telegraphed to General Halleck: "Fort Henry is 
ours. Gunboats silenced the batteries before the invest- 
ment was completed. 1 shall take and destroy Fort Don- 
elson on the 8th, and return to Fort Henry." The fall of 
Fort Henry opened the Tennessee to the Union gunboats 
and pierced the Confederate line of defense across the 
State of Kentucky. 

General Grant lost no time in preparing for a vigorous 
movement on Fort Donelson, twelve miles distant, having 
ordered reinforcements to be sent up the river from Cairo. 
In the meantime the Confederates, alarmed by their defeat 
on the Tennessee, concentrated all the force that they 

4 



50 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



could command for the defense of the Cumherland. The 
greater part of the troops that had garrisoned the works 
at Fort Henry had escaped and johied the forces on the 
Cumberland. Fort Donelson was most favorably placed 
and constructed according to the best rules of engineering 
skill. The fortress was 
placed upon a high hill 
on a bend of the river, 
a little below the town 
of Dover. This eleva- 
tion commanded the 
stream in front and both 
north and south, as far 
as shot could be thrown. 
At the foot of the fort 
there were two water 
batteries of twelve heavy 
guns; the land side was 
also fortified strongly. 
Its garrison consisted of 
about 23,000 men, and besides the amount of the fort and 
water batteries, six batteries of light artillery and seven- 
teeii heavy guns. The Confederates were under the com- 
mand of General Floyd, Secretary of War under Buchanan. 
General Grant arrived in front of the fort on the after- 
noon of the 1 2th and at once took possession of the high 
ground surrounding it, his right resting on Dover, his left 
wing resting on a small creek to the north of the fort, thus 
inclosing the entire rebel forces. In making these move- 
ments considerable skirmishing ensued. On the following 
day an engagement of two hours occurred between one of 
the gunboats and the rebel batteries. At 2 o'clock on 
February 14 the gunboats opened fire on the batteries and 




LIFE AND SERVICES. 



51 



filially silenced them, but the plunging shots from the fort 
above having crippled the flag ship and wounded Commo- 
dore Foote, they withdrew from the action. General 
Grant now determined to thoroughly invest the fort, either 
reducing it by siege or to await the repair of the gunboats. 
In the meantime the Confederates realizing that the result 
of such an investment meant the entire capture of their 
forces, planned an overwhelming attack upon the weakest 
part of the Union lines. Accordingly on the morning of 
the 15th the attacking column, numbering ten thousand 
men, struck General Grant's extreme right, which was 
here commanded by General McClernand, taking him by 
surprise, and though desperately contesting every inch he 
was being gradually forced to retire. At this time so con- 
fident was General Pillow that he had defeated the Union 
army, he had sent a dispatch to Nashville announcing " on 
the honor of a soldier^ the day is ours^'' 

Arriving on the field of battle General Grant at once 
took in the situation, exclaiming: *' They mean to cut 
their way out; they have no idea of staying here to fight 
us. Whichever party now attacks first will whip, and the 
rebels will have to be very quick if they beat me." Riding 
to the front he ordered General Wallace to recover the 
lost ground of the morning, while General Smith should 
storm the enemy's right. Wallace was successful in driv- 
ing the enemy back and at dark had pushed within one 
hundred and fifty yards of the enemy's intrenchments. 
General Smith had also been successful after a desperate 
struggle, and had he had a half-hour of daylight would 
have passed the outworks and captured the fort. The 
army bivouacked on the frozen ground, intending to make 
an early assault on the rebel lines in the morning, but the 
morning's sun found a flag of truce waving over the 



52 



GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 



enemy's works, their commander, General S. B. Buckner, 
sending a note to General Grant proposing to surrender. 
During the night the two senior rebel generals, Floyd and 
Pillow, had deserted their command and crossed the river 
on boats, taking with them some three thousand men. 
The following correspondence then passed between the 
commanding generals of the contending armies: 

Headquarters Fort Donelson, Feb. i6, 1862. 
Sir: — In consideration of all the circumstances governing the 
present situation of affairs at this station, I propose to the command- 
ing officer of the Federal forces the appointment of commissioners to 
agree upon terms of capitulation of the forces I hold under my com- 
mand ; and, in that view, suggest an armistice until twelve o'clock 

^^' S. B. BUCKNER, Brig.-Gen. C. S. A. 

To Brig. -Gen. Grant, commanding U. S. Forces, Fort Donelson. 

To which General Grant replied as follows: 

Headquarters Army in the Field, 
Camp near Donelson, Feb. 16, 1862. 
To General S. B. Buckner, Confederate Army: 

Yours of this date, proposing an armistice and appointment of 
commissioners to settle terms of capitulation, is just received. No 
terms other than an unconditional and immediate surrender can be ac- 
cented. I propose to move inunediately upon your works. 

I am, sir, very respectfully your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Brig.-Gen. U. S. A., Commanding. 

General (irant's terms were accepted and the surrender 
was immediate and unconditional — the forces surrendered 
were thirteen thousand five hundred men, three thousand 
horses, forty-eight field-pieces, seventeen heavy guns, 
twenty thousand stand of arms, and a large quantity of 
commissary .stores, the Confederates having lost in their 
attack 1,228 men; the Union loss being 446 killed, 1,735 
wounded and 150 prisoners. The following day two regi- 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



53 



mcnts of rebel Tennesseeans, not having heard of the sur- 
render, marched hito the fort, and the whole force, ir475 
officers and men, were at once captured. 

The capture of Forts Donelson and Henry broke the 
outer line of the defence of the Confederacy. In a few 
days after Bowhng Green and Coknnbus were evacuated 
and taken possession of by the Union forces. 

For this victorious 
campaign General Grant 
was at once nominated 
for and received the 
confirmation of, the ap- 
pointment of Major- 
General of Vohuiteers 
to date from the day of 
sun-ender of Fort Donel- 
son. 

After the capture of 
Fort Donelson General 
Grant did not allow his 
forces to remain long- 
idle. On the 20th of ALBERT SIDNEY JOHNSTON. 

February he captured Clarksville and occupied Nashville 
on the 23d. . About this time the enemy began collecting 
a large force under the able command of Albert Sidney 
Johnston, with headquarters at Corinth, Mississippi, with 
the intention of holding the line of the Memphis and 
Charleston Railroad and preventing any advance of the 
Union forces below the line of the Tennessee River, and 
also to have at easy command an available force to make an 
aggressive movement into Kentucky, should an opportunity 
occur. They at the same time blockaded the Mississippi 
River by fortified positions at several points, above Mem- 
phis, and at Vicksburg and below New Orleans, 




54 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

General Grant's army passed up the river, encamping 
at Savannah and Pittsburg Landing, twenty miles distant 
from Corinth. 

General C. F. Smith had been placed in command of 
the troops in tlie field, General Grant being detained at 
Fort Henry, organizing and fitting out the forces with 
which he was al)out to make his aggressive movement. 
The selection of Pittsburg Landing as a point of rendez- 
vous and disembarkation was made by General Smith, and 
not by General Grant. 

A Confederate paper, published at Florence, Alabama, 
on the morning of March 13, 1SS2, contains the following 
significant article: 

" We learned yesterday that the Unionists had landed a very large 
force at Savannah, Tenn. We suppose they are making preparations 
to get possession of the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. They 
must never be allowed to get this great thoroicghfare in their possession, 
for then we would indeed be crippled. The labor and untiring industry 
ol too many faithful and energetic men have been expended on this 
road to bring it up to its present state of usefulness, to let it fall into 
the hands of the enemy to be used against us. It must be protected. 
We, as a people, are able to protect and save it. If unavoidable, let 
them have our river; but we hope it is the united sentiment of our 
people, that we zvill have our railroad. " 



CHAPTER VI. 

PITTSBURG LANDING, SiriLOII, lUKA AND CORINTH. 

The Confederate forces at Corinth were said to number 
forty-five thousand men on the ist of April, 1862, under 
command of General Albert Sydney Johnston, with Gen- 
eral P. G. T. Beauregard second in command, and Gen- 
eral Bragg with his corps, which had been brought up 
from Mobile and Pensacola; General Polk, with forces 
from Columbus and points evacuated in Kentucky and 
Tennessee; Generals Hardee and Breckenridge were also 
in command of divisions. General Grant's forces consisted 
of five divisions, commanded respectively by Generals 
Sherman, Hurlburt, McClernand, Lew Wallace and W. H. 
L. Wallace, thirty-five thousand strong, spread over a space 
of several square miles from Pittsburg Landing to Savan- 
nah. The country is here rolling, cut up with ravines and 
intertwined with an inextricable maze of wood-paths. Gen- 
eral Grant was resting at this point awaiting the arrival of 
General Buell, who was marching from Nashville to join 
him with forty thousand men. Owing to heavy rains and 
bad roads General Buell had been somewhat delayed, and 
had not been able to join the army of Grant as was 
expected. 

On the morning of April 2, the Union videttes of Gen- 
eral Wallace's division, who were stationed at Crump's 
Landing, had a sharp skirmish with the Confederates. On 
the 4th the Confederates made a reconnoissance in force, 

(55) 



56 



GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 



but finding the Federals alert and ready to receive them, 
retired, General Johnston carefully avoiding a general en- 
gagement, as he was daily expecting large reinforcements 
from Generals Van Dorn 
and Price. On the 5th 
the Confederate forces ar- 
rived in position in front 
of the Union lines; the 
more advanced were al- 
lowed no fires, nor were 
any noises such as are 
usual to camps permitted. 
On the 3d of April the 
Confederate commander 
had issued the following 
proclamation to his 
troops : 




p. G. T. BEAUKEGAKD. 



Soldiers of the Army of the Mississippi: — I have put you 
in motion to offer battle to the invaders of your country, with the res- 
olution, and discipline and valor becoming men fighting as you are, 
for all worth living or dying for. You can but march to a decisive 
victory over agragian mercenaries, sent to subjugate and despoil you 
of your liberies, property and honor. 

Remember the precious stake involved; remember the depend- 
ence of your mothers, your wives, your sisters, and your children, on 
the result. Remember the fair, broad, abounding lands, the happy 
homes that will be desolated by your defeat. The eyes and hopes of 
eight millions of people rest upon vou. You are expected to show 
yourselves worth}' of your valor and courage, worthy of the women 
of the South, whose noble devotion in this war has never been ex. 
ceeded in any time. With such incentives to brave deeds, and with 
trust that God is with us, your General will lead you confidently to 
the combat, assured of success. 
By order of 

General A. S. Johnstoxt^ Commanding. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 57 

General Johnston had hccn able to get an aecurate knowl- 
edge of the strength and position of General Grant's army, 
and expected to make his attack a surprise and crush the 
Union forces before General Buell should arrive. So con- 
fident were they of success, it is stated that Beauregard an- 
nounced that his men should " water their horses the next 
dav in the Tennessee River or in hell." Sunday, the 6th, 
was bright and clear. At 5 o'clock in the morning the 
Confederates advanced at double-quick, in three columns, 
striking the divisions of Generals Sherman and Prentiss, 
who were three or four miles in advance of Pittsburg Land- 
ing near Shiloh church. The odds against them were great. 
The Union troops, though partially surprised, fought des- 
perately against overwhelming numbers, contesting the 
ground foot by foot until they reached the inner line of 
defense near the river. Generals Prentiss and Sherman 
did all that mortal men could do to stem the disaster to 
then- forces. General Prentiss was soon overwhelmed, his 
forces dispersed, himself with a large number of his men 
taken prisoner. The following account from an eye wit- 
ness, taken from the Neiv York Herald oi April 9, 1863, 
will be found of great interest. The description of this and 
the subsequent day's battle, written b}^ General Grant, in a 
late issue of The Century^ should also be read by all of the 
General's admirers. 

THE FIRST day's STRUGGLE. 

Pittsburg, via Fort Henry. 
April 9, 3.20 A. M. 
One of the greatest and bloodiest battles of modern days has just 
closed, resulting in the complete rout of the enemy, who attacked us 
at daybreak Sunday morning. 

The battle lasted, without intermission, during the entire day, and 
was again renewed on Monday morning, and continued undecided 
until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when the enemy commenced their 



58 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

retreat, and are still flying toward Corinth, pursued by a large force 
of our cavalry. 

The slaughter on both sides is 'mmense. We have lost in killed, 
wounded and missing, from eighteen to twenty thousand; that of the 
enemy is estimated at from thirty-five to forty thousand. 

It is impossible, in the present confused state of aflairs, to ascertain 
any of the details; I therefore give you the best account possible from 
observation, having passed through the storm of action during the 
two days that it raged. 

The fight was brought on by a body of three hundred of the Twen- 
ty-fifth Missouri Regiment, of General Prentiss' Division, attacking 
the advance guard of the rebels, which were supposed to be the pick- 
ets of the enemy in front of our camps. 

The rebels iinmediately advanced on General Prentiss' Division 
on the left wing, pouring volley after volley of musketry, and riddling 
our camps with grape, canister and shell. Our forces soon formed 
into line and returned their fire vigorously. By the time we were 
prepared to receive them, the rebels had turned their heaviest fire on 
the left center, Sherman's Division, and drove our men back from 
their camps; then, bringing up a fresh force, opened fire on our left 
wing, under General McClernand. This fire was returned with terri- 
ble effect and determined sjiirit by both infantry and artillery, along 
the whole line, for a distance of over four miles. 

General Hurlburt's division was thrown forward to support 
the center, when a desperate conflict ensued. The rebels were driven 
back with terrible slaughter, but soon rallied and drove back our men 
in turn. From about nine o'clock^ ike time your correspondent arrived 
on the field ^ until night closed on the bloody scene^ there zvas fio determin- 
ation of the residt of the struggle. The rebels exhibited remarkably 
good generalshij). At times engaging the left, with apparently their 
whole strength, they would suddenly open a terrible and destructive 
fire on the right or center. Even our heaviest and most destructive 
fire upon the enemy did not appear to discourage their solid columns. 
The fire of Major Taylor's Chicago Artillery raked them down in 
scores, but the smoke would no sooner be dispersed than the breach 
would again be filled. 

The most desperate fighting took place late in the afternoon. The 
rebels knew that if they did not succeed in whipping us then, their 
chances for success would be extremely doubtful, as a portion of Gen- 
eral Buell's forces had by this time arrived on the opposite side ol the 



LIFE AND SERVICES. Co 

river, and another portion was coming up the river from Savannah. 
They became aware that we were being reinforced, as they could see 
General Buell's troops from the river bank, a short distance above us 
on the left, to which point they had forced their way. 

At 5 o'clock the rebels had forced our left wing back so as to occupy 
fully two-thirds of our camp, and were fighting their way forward with 
a desperate degree of confidence in their efforts to drive us into the 
river, and at the same time heavily engaged our right.. 

Up to this time we had received no reinforcements. General Lewis 
Wallace failing to come to our support until the day was over. Being 
without other transports than those used for quartermaster's and com- 
missary stores, which were too heavily laden to ferry any considera- 
ble number of General Buell's forces across the river, and the boats 
that were here having been sent to bring up the troops from Savan- 
nah, we could not even get those men to us who were so near, and 
anxiously waiting to take part in the struggle. We -were, tlierejore, 
contesting against fearful odds, our forces not exceeding thirty-eight 
thousand 7nefi, -cvhile that of the enemy 'vas upward of sixty thousand. 

Our condition at this moment was extremely critical. Large num- 
bers of men panic struck, others worn out by hard fighting, with the 
average percentage of skulkers, had straggled toward the river, and 
could not be rallied. 

General Grant and staff, -who had beejt recklessly riding along the 
lines during the entire day, amid the unceasing storm of bzdlets, grape 
and shell, now rode from right to left, inciting the 7nen to stand firm 
until our reinforcements could cross the river. 

Colonel Webster, Chief of Staff, immediately got into position the 
heaviest pieces of artillery, pointing on the enemy's right, while a 
large number of the batteries were planted along the entire line, from 
the river bank northwest to our extreme right, some two and a half 
miles distant. About an hour before dusk a general cannonading was 
opened upon the enemy, from along our wliole line, with a perpetual 
crack of musketry. Such a roar of artillery was never heard on this 
continent. For a short time the rebels replied with vigor and effect, 
but their return shots grew less frequent and destructive, while ours 
grew more rapid and more terrible. 

The gunboats Lexington and Tyler, which lay a short distance off, 
kept raining shell on the rebel hordes. This last effort was too much 
for the enemy, and ere dusk had set in the firing had nearly ceased, 



6o 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



when, night coming on, all the combatants rested from their awful ivork 
of blood and carnage. 

Our men rested on their arms in the position they had at the close of 
the night, until the forces under Major-General Lewis Wallace arrived 
and took position on the right, and General Buell's forces from the 
opoosite side and Savannah, were being conveyed to the battle-ground. 
The entire right of General Nelson's division was ordered to form on 
the right, and the forces under General Crittenden were ordered to 
his support early in the morning. 

THE SECOND DAY's BATTLE. 



General Buell, having 
himself arrived on Sunday 
evening, on the morning 
of Monday, April 7, the 
ball was opened at daylight, 
simultaneously by General 
Nelson's division on the 
left, and Major-General 
Wallace's division on the 
right. General Nelson's 
force opened up a most 
galling fire on the rebels 
and advanced rapidly as 
they fell back. The fire 
soon became general along 
the whole line, and began 




DON CARLOS BUELL. 



to tell with terrrible effect on the enemy. Generals McClernand, 
Sherman and Hurlburt's men, though terribly jaded from the previ- 
ous day's fighting, still maintained their honors won at Donelson; 
but the resistance of the rebels at all points of the attack was terrible, 
and worthy of a better cause. 

But they were not enough for our undaunted bravery, and the 
dreadful dcs5olalion produced by our artillery, which was sweeping 
them away like chaff before the Avind. But knozviiig that a defeat here 
■would be the deaili-bloiv to their hopes^ and that their all depended on 
this great struggle, their generals still urged them on in the face of 
destruction, hoping by flanking us on the right to turn the tide of 
battle. Their success was again for a time cheering, as they began to 
gain ground on us, appearing to have been reintbrced; but our left, 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



61 



under General Nelson, was driving them, and with wonderful rapidity, 
and by n o'clock General Buell's forces had succeeded in flank, 
ing them, and capturing their batteries of artillery. 

They, liowever, again rallied on the left, and recrossed, and the 
right forced themselves forward in another desperate eflbrt. But 
reinforcements from General Wood and General Thomas were com- 
ing in, regiment after regiment, which were sent to General Buell, 
who had again commenced to drive the enemy. 

About 3 o'clock in the afternoon, General Grant rode to the 
left where the fresh regiments had been ordered, and, finding the 
rebels wavering, sent a portion of his body-guard to the head of each 
of five regiments, and then ordered a charge across the field, himself 
leading; and as he brandished his sivord and zvaved them on to the 
crcnvning victory, the cannon balls Zi'cre falling like hail around him. 

The men followed with a shout that sounded above the roar and 
din of the artillery, and the rebels fled in dismay as from a destroying 
avalanche, and never made another stand. 

General Buell followed the retreating rebels, driving them in 
splendid style, and by half-past 5 o'clock the whole rebel army was 
in full retreat to Corinth, with our cavalry in hot pursuit, with what 
further result is not known, not having returned up to this hour. 

We have taken a large amount of 
their artillery and also a number of 
prisoners. We lost a number of 
our forces prisoners yesterday, 
among whom is General Prentiss. 
The number of our force taken has 
not yet been ascertained. It is re- 
ported at several hundred. Gen- 
eral Prentiss was also reported as 
being wounded. Among the killed 
on the rebel side was their General- 
in-Chief, Albert Sydney Johnston, 
who was struck by a cannon-ball 
on the afternoon of Sunday. Of 
this there is no doubt, and it is fur- 
ther reported that General Beauregard was wounded. 

This afternoon Generals Bragg, Breckenridge and Jackson were 
commanding portions of the rebel forces. 




JOHN C. BRECKENRIDGE. 



62 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

THE SUMMING UP OF THE TWO DAYS. 

There has never been a parallel to the gallantry and bearing of our 
officers, from the Commanding General to the lowest officer. 

General Grant and staif were in the field, riding along the lines in 
the thickest of the enemy's fire during the entire two days of the bat- 
tle, and all slept on the ground Sunday night, during a heavy rain. 
On several occasions General Grant got within range of the enemy's 
guns and was discovered and fired upon. 

Lieutenant-Colonel McPherson had his horse shot from under 
him when alongside of General Grant. 

Captain Carson was between General Grant and your correspond, 
ent when a cannon-ball took off his head and killed and wounded sev- 
eral others. 

General Sherman had two horses killed under him, and General 
McClernand shared like dangers; also General Hurlburt, each of 
whom received bullet holes through their clothes. 

The first clay's battle having closed with every indication 
of a complete success for the Confederate cause, on the fol- 
lowing day General Beauregard, who succeeded Johnston, 
telegraphed to the Confederate government as follows: 

Corinth, Tuesday, April 8, 1S63. 
To THE Secretary of War, Richmond: 

We have gained a great and glorious victory. Eight to ten thou- 
sand prisoneis and thirty-six pieces of cannon. Buell re-inforced 
Grant, and we retired to our entrenchments at Corinth, which we can 
hold. Loss heavy on both sides. 

Beauregard. 

In a congratulatory order issued by General Grant to 
the troops under date of April 8, he says: 

"The General commanding congratulates the troops who so gal- 
lantly maintained their position; repulsed and routed a numerically 
superior force of the enemy, composed of the flower of the Southern 
army, commanded by their ablest Generals, and fought by them with 
all the desperation of despair. In numbers engaged, no such contest 
ever took place on this continent. In importance of result, but few 
such have tiikcn place in the history of the world." 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 63 

Three years after, General Sherman, in a speech de- 
livered at St. Louis, on the 19th of July, 1S65, having 
reviewed the incidents of the commencement of the war, 
says of this battle: 

"There was gathered the first great army of the West. Com- 
mencing with only twelve thousand, then twenty, then thirty thousand, 
and we had about thirty-eight thousand in that battle; and all I claim 
for it is, that is was a contest for manhood; there was no strategy. 
Grant was there, an5 others of us, all young at that time, and un- 
known men, but our enemy was old, and Sidney Johnston, whom all 
the officers reiDembered as a power among the old officers, high above 
Grant, mvself, or anybody else, led the enemy on that battlefield, and 
I almost wonder how we conquered. But, as I remarked, it was a 
contest for manhood — man to man, soldier to soldier. We fought, 
and held our ground, and therefore counted ourselves victorious. 
From that time forward we had with us the prestige. That battle 
was worth millions and millions to us, by reason of the fact of the 
courage displayed by the brave soldiers on that occasion ; and from 
that time to this, I never heard of the first want of courage on the 
part of our Northern soldiers." 

After the engagements of Shiloh and Pittsburg Landing, 
the Confederate forces retreated to Corinth, where all their 
available forces were again rendezvoused behind a series of 
fortifications that were deemed impregnable. General 
Halleck, who had now assumed command, sent for all of 
the unemployed troops in his department, concentrating 
them at Pittsburg Landing. He had 120,000 men in his 
command, with a large array of field and siege guns. This 
large army he designated as the " Grand Army of the Ten- 
nessee," and it was composed of three armies, as follows: 

The Army of the Ohio (center) General Buell Commanding. 
The Army of the Mississippi (left) General Pope Commanding-. 
The Army of the Tennessee (right) General Grant Commanding. 

Cautiously the Union General advanced toward Corinth, 
occupying six weeks in advancing sixteen miles; heavy 
skirmishing was of daily occurrence, the Union forces being 



64 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

generally successful. General Halleck finally planted his 
army before Corinth, Although General Grant had ex- 
pressed an opinion that he could carry the works of the 
enemy by storm, General Halleck rejected it and settled 
down to a regular siege, which was safely prosecuted ac- 
cording to the established rules of war, from April 30 to 
May 30, 1863, the enemy having abandoned their entrench- 
ments the night before. By this victory the Union forces 
had broken the second line of the interior defence of the 
Confederacy, and they were forced back upon their third line 
the strategic points of which were Vicksburg, Jackson, 
Meriden, and Selma. The Union forces pursued the retreat- 
ing foe, capturing many prisoners and destroying much pub- 
lic property. The importance of Corinth as a stronghold is 
evidenced by the fact that it was kept by the United States 
forces as a strong military post until the beginning of 1864. 

Several minor move- 
ments and skirmishes of 
considerable moment 
took place in different 
parts of this department ; 
on these occasions the 
Federal forces were gen- 
erally successful, yet up 
to September General 
Grant's department was 
particularly quiet. In 
the earlier part of Sep- 
tember' the Confederate 
forces in the Southwest 
began to make a general 
advance. General Grant was at this time in command of 
the Union forces. General Halleck having been called to 




GENERAL ROSECRANS. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



65 



Wash'ngton to supersede McClellan. A large rebel 
army under Sterling Price had occupied luka, twenty- 
one miles southeast from Corinth, against whom General 
Grant advanced by two different routes. . General Rose- 
crans, commanding the Army of the Mississippi, advancing 
from the south, while that under General Ord from the north ; 
General Rosecrans on September 19, fiercely attacked Price, 
defeating him in a bloody battle, but Price succeeded in es- 
caping; uniting his forces with Van Dorn, he marched upon 
Corinth. General Grant was at this time at Jackson, where 
he was threatened by 
a considerable Confed- 
erate force located at 
LaGrange and Ripley. 
Rosecrans was in com- 
mand at Corinth hav- 
ing onlv nineteen thous- 
and men in his ranks, 
while the enemy ap- 
proached with thirty- 
eight thousand men, 
with the evident inten- 
tion of retaking Cor- 
inth at all hazards, or 
at least, to break the 
Union line of communication, and force a retreat. On the 
4th of October the enemy made a furious attack upon 
the works at Corinth, and the most desperate fighting 
ensued. Tlie rebel troops rushed to the assault with 
their usual bravery; bravely did the garrison defend the 
position, repelling the enemy with enormous slaughter; 
during the battle General McPherson had arrived from 
Jackson with reinforcements, having been sent by General 




GENERAL VAN DORN. 



66 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

Grant in aid of the beleaguered garrison. General Grant, 
feeling confident of the success of the Union arms, had 
sent Generals Ord and Hurlburt with 4,000 men to strike 
the enemy in flank upon their retreat. General Rosecrans 
pursued the enemy from Corinth, pushing them toward the 
Hatchie Rivt , where the force under Generals Ord and 
Hurlburt fell upon their already bleeding and shattered col- 
umns, forcing then? back, capturing a battery of artillery 
and several bunc^ ed prisoners. General Rosecrans, on the 
next day sent the following telegram : 

Chevalla, October 6, 1862. 
To Major-General Grant: 

The enemy is totally routed, throwing everything away. We are 
following sharply. 

W. S. Rosecrans, Major-General. 

General Grant's congratulatory order to his troops will be 
found in the appendix. President Lincoln dispatched to 
General Grant the following congratulations and inquiries: 

Washington, D. C, October 6, 1863 
Major-General Grant: 

I congratulate you and all concerned in your recent battles and vic- 
tories. How doea it all sum up? I especially regret the death of 
General Hackleman, and am very anxious to know the condition of 
General Oglesby, who is an intimate personal friend. 

A. Lincoln. 

The Federal success at luka and Corinth, relieved West 
Tennessee from all immediate danger. This brief cam- 
paign had displayed General Grant's military judgment and 
the admirable clearness of his perceptions, and made the 
way clear for his campaign against Vicksburg-. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE ADVANCE TO VICKSBURG. 

By ijeneral orders from the War Department, dated Oc- 
tober 16, 1S62, General Grant was assigned to the "De- 
partment of the Tennessee,". which was now extended to 
include the State of Mississippi, in which was Vicksburg. 
General Grant formally assumed his new command on the 
25th of October, although he had virtually held it since the 
departure of Halleck for Washington. In November 
Grant removed his headquarters from Jackson to LaGrange, 
that he might be in a better position to support Sherman 
who was then at Memphis preparing for his movement on 
Vicksburg. 

On the 20th of Decemoer the Confeaerate General 
Van Dorn succeeded in capturing from the Federal forces, 
through the cowardice of General Murphy, the important 
post of Holly Springs, which had been made the principal 
base of supplies for Grant's army. Its loss prevented 
Grant's co-operation with Sherman in his movement 
ao-ainst Vicksburg, which promised to be successful. 

Vicksburg is situated on the east bank of the Mississippi, 
twelve miles below the mouth of the Yazoo. All that the 
Confederacy had of engineering skill and experience was 
exhausted in rendering it the Gibraltar of America. It 
was out of the question to capture the town by the river 
front, and the rear had been made almost as impregnable. 
Already three attempts had been made by the Federals to 

(67) 



68 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



capture this stronghold. Commodore Farragut, after his 
capture of New Orleans, had ascended the river as far as 
Grand Gulf, a short distance below Vicksburg, but accom- 
plished nothing. On the 8th of June, soon after the cap- 
ture of Memphis, a second attack was made, and for a time 
the batteries at Grand Gulf were silenced, but the low state 
of the water obliged the fleet to return down the river. 
General Williams had attempted to dig a canal across 

the peninsula opposite 
Vicksburg, hoping to 
turn the waters of the 
Mississippi into it, al- 
lowing the Union gun- 
boats and transports to 
pass below Vicksburg. 
Unfortunately for the 
success of this plan, 
the low condition of 
the water compelled 
him to abandon the 
undertaking, and the 
Confederates at once 
filled up the canal. 
It had long been pre- 
dicted that the Mississippi Valley would be the seat of the 
future Empire of America. Napoleon, when negotiating 
the cession of Louisiana, said: " The nation which controls 
the Valley of the Mississippi, will eventually rule the 
world." De Tocqueville, in his writings, says: "It is the 
most magnificent dwelling-place prepared by God for man's 
abode." The river enriches an area of nearly one million 
and a half of square miles, six times the area of the Em- 
pire of France. Fifty-seven rivers, many of them a thou- 




ADMIRAL FARRAGUT. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 69 

sand miles in length, contribute to swell its waters. The 
Indians called it the « Father of Waters." General Sher- 
man once said, « The possession of the Mississippi River is 
the possession of America." Jefferson Davis said to the 
citizens of Mississippi at Jackson, " Assist in preservin<T 
the Mississippi River, that great artery of the Confederacy, 
and thus conduce more than, in any other zvay, to the perpet- 
ziation of the Confederacy^ and the success of the cause." 
Vallandigham, in his speech declaring the inability of the 
government to conquer the Rebellion, and the determina- 
tion of the Northwest to go with the South, said : " There 
is not one drop of rain that falls over the whole vast ex- 
panse of the Northwest that does not find its home in the 
bosom of the Gulf." Unlike Vallandigham in his views, 
yet recognizing the importance of this vast inland sea to 
the people of the Northwest, the brave and eloquent Gen- 
eral Logan said: "If the rebels undertake to control the 
Mississippi, the men of the Northwest will hew their way 
to the Gulf, and make New Orleans a fish-pond." 

By the retreat of Grant, the Confederates were enabled 
to reinforce Vicksburg, and fortify Port Hudson on the 
Louisiana side of the river, in order to blockade the river 
against the fleet imder Farragut from below. General Sher- 
man, unaware of the mishap to General Grant, had moved 
his army in front of the Confederate works at Vicksburg, 
and on December 28 and 29, he made several brilliant and 
determined assaults on the enemy's lines, but all in vain, the 
Union forces being compelled to return. After his defeat 
at Vicksburg, General Sherman planned the capture of Ar- 
kansas Port, on the Arkansas River, which on the loth of 
January, 1863, after a gallant defence, surrendered witli 
nearly 5,000 prisoners. After this success, Sherman 
I'eturned to the vicinity of Vicksburg in order to co-op- 
erate with General Grant. 



^O GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

Recognizing the importance of the possession of Vicks- 
burg to the National cause, General Grant, early in the 
new year, determined to make a second campaign against 
it. He had become convinced that its capture could only 
be accomplished by a combined land and river force. Gen- 
eral Grant's immediate army, some 50,000 strong, w^as 
withdrawn from Northern Mississippi, and transferred to 
the Mississippi River for the reduction of Vicksburg, 
the headquarters being at Memphis. 

On the 29th of January, having pushed his preparations 
forward rapidly, he landed his army at Young's Point and 
Milliken's Bend, above Vicksburg, making his head- 
quarters at the latter place. He at once set to work to re- 
open the canal dug by General Williams; a sudden rise in 
the river washed the works away, and the enterprise 
ended in failure. 

While employed at Milliken's Bend, he also cut a short 
canal from a point seventy miles above Vicksburg to a 
sheet of water called Lake Providence, which was form- 
erly the bed of the river. This lake through a bayou was 
connected with Swan Lake and the Tensas River; through 
the latter river, boats could pass into the Black River and 
thence into the Red River, which enters the Mississippi far 
below Vicksburg. Just as success seemed assured a drouth 
came. There was no water in the bayous, and the enter- 
prise was abandoned. Undismayed by these reverses, he 
now turned his attention to the east side of the river. 

At a point nearly opposite Helena, there is, l)ut a few 
liunclrcd yards from the eastern shore of the river, a con- 
siderable body of water called Moon Lake. From the 
southern extremity of this sheet of water Yazoo Pass leads 
into the Coldwater River, this into the Yazoo through the 
Tallahatchie. Grant's engineers deemed it possible, by cut- 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 7I 

tingf a cnnal into Moon Lake, that a way mis^ht he opened 
for the transports, through these whiding streams into the 
Yazoo far above the Confederate entrenchments so as to en- 
able the landing of the army in the rear of Vicksburg. On 
the 2d of February the waters of the river were admitted 
into the canal, and cut a channel so deep and wide that the 
largest steamers could pass through into Moon Lalce. 
During these operations, the rebels had been fully informed 
of the Union army's plans, and had accumulated vast ob- 
structions lower down the river, filhng the streams with 
felled trees. After long and tedious work the Union troops 
opened a passage to the Cold water, entering it on the 3d of 
March with twenty-two light transports conveying 4,500 
men under the command of General Ross. This river is 
about 100 feet wide and runs through, a dense and solitary 
wilderness, a distance of about forty miles, when it enters 
the Tallahatchie, a broad and deep stream. This difficult 
navigation was successfully accomplished, and the fleet en- 
tered the Tallahatchie. General Grant, encouraged by his 
success, ortlered General Quinby with his division to rein- 
force General Ross. 

The rebels had erected a strong battery at the mouth 
of the Tallahatchie, called Fort Pemberton, which General 
Ross was unable to capture. On the i6th of March, Gen- 
eral Grant sent General Sherman with Stuart's division, 
assisted by Admiral Porter with five iixjnclads and four 
mortar-boats, through Steele's Bayou, intending to reach 
the Yazoo River sixty miles above its mouth; this accom- 
plished, he could then attack Fort Pemberton from the 
rear. General Ross' forces being in critical position at the 
time. Owing to shallow water, barricaded by felled trees 
and other obstructions, and unlooked for strength of the 
enemy at all defensive jDoints, the further prosecution of the 



72 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

expedition was foivid impracticable, and he returned to the 
vicinity of Vicksburg. General Ross and his command 
also withdrew from their perilous entanglements in safety. 
By the close of March the entire Union force again con- 
centrated at Milliken's Bend. 

The failure of these attempts to reach the rear of Vicks- 
burg from the north convinced General Grant that his 
only hope of capturing the place was to flank the strongly 
fortified town by moving his army down on the west side 
of the river. Notwithstanding the almost unanimous pro- 
test of his commanding generals, Grant, on the 29th of 
March, ordered General McClernand with the Thirteenth 
Army Corps to move down the river to New Carthage, 
the Eleventh and Seventeenth Corps to immediately follow. 
Arriving at New Carthage it was found that the levee of 
the Bayou Vidal, which here empties into the Mississippi, 
had broken, leaving New Carthage an island. They were 
obliged to make a detour around the Bayou Vidal to Per- 
kins' plantation, twelve miles below, and distant thirty-five 
miles from Milliken's Bend. Owing to the wet and spongy 
condition of the roads, it was deemed hazardous to forward 
supplies this distance, and Grant, with the cordial concur- 
rence of Admiral Porter, determined to run the batteries at 
Vicksburg with transports and gunboats. On the night of 
the i6th of April, Admiral Porter's fleet and three trans- 
ports loaded with supplies succeeded, notwithstanding the 
heavy fire, in running the batteries with the loss of but one 
of the transports. A few days afterward six more trans- 
ports were started dovv^n the river, five of which reached 
the Union forces in safety. 

Before leaving the north side of Vicksburg it was de- 
termined to cut off the rebel communications from the east 
and south. He detailed for this purpose Colonel B. H. 



LIFE AXD SERVICES, 



73 



Grierson with the First Cavah-y Brigade for this duty. This 
force left Lagrange, Tenn.,on April 17, 1S63, and marched 
Soo miles through the heart of the enemy's country, arriving 
safely at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on May i, having cut off 
the enemy's communication with Vicksburg, capturing over 
1,000 prisoners, 1,200 horses, destroying over $4,000,000 
worth of property, and accomplished one of the most brill- 
iant and daring cavalry exploits of the war. About this 
time cavalry raids were made into Alabama and Georgia, 
and to the rear of General Lee's army in Virginia, by Gener- 
al Stoneman, carrying consternation into the enemy's ranks. 

In order to further mislead the enemy. General 
Sherman was ordered to make a diversion up the 
Yazoo toward Haines' Bluff, the gunboats which had 
been left at Milliken's Bend opening a furious bombard- 
ment on the works at Vicksburg, creating intense excite- 
ment in the city. For two days and nights Sherman kept 
up his threatening preparations for an attack on the city, 
when he received orders to move down to Perkins' plan- 
tation with two divisions of his corps as rapidly as possible. 

Finding Perkins' plantation unfit for a base of supplies, 
General Grant moved his army to Hard Times, Louisiana, 
several miles below and nearly opposite Grand Gulf. It was 
the original intention to make a combined army and naval 
attack upon the latter place, but after five hours' naval en- 
gagement it became evident that the batteries could not be 
silenced or taken by storm from in front. Grant therefore 
changed his plan, and concluded to again run the Confed- 
erate batteries as he had done at Vicksburg. Under co\er of 
an engagement between the rebel batteries and Admiral 
Porter's gunboats, the transports successfully passed Grand 
Gulf, receiving no injury from the enemy. 

General McClernand's corps, on 30th of April effected 



74 GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 

a landing at Bruinsburg, twelve miles from Port Gibson, in 
the rear of the works at Grand Gulf, and on the direct 
route to Jackson and Vicksburg. The capture of Port 
Gibson would carry also the fall of Grand Gulf. General 
McClernand engaged the enemy about 3 o'clock on May 
I, about eight miles from Brimsburg, forcing them back 
until dark. Having been reinforced by General Grant 
early the following morning, about noon a general charge 
was ordered, and the enemy gave way in all directions 
The Confederate loss had been very heavy in killed, 
wounded and prisoners, while that of the Union forces was 
over 800 killed and wounded. In the morning it was 
found that the enemy had evacuated Port Gibson, destroy- 
ing the bridge over the Bayou Pierre. 

So rapid had been the Federal advance that the Con- 
federates were unable to remove their heavy artillery at 
Grand Gulf. They abandoned the whole country from 
Grand Gulf to the Big Black River on the north. Gen- 
eral Grant having been reinforced by Sherman's corps, who 
had been left to make a feint on Vicksburg from the north, 
immediately ordered an advance, but before doing so issued 
the following modest address to his troops: 

Headquarters Army of the Tennessee, in the Field, ) 
Hawkinson's Ferry, May 7. ) 

Soldiers of the Army of Tennessee: 

Once more I thank you for adding another victory to the long list 
of those previously won by your valor and endurance. The triumph 
gained over the enemy near Port Gibsoii^ on the ist^ ivas one of the jnoet 
important of the war. The captvire of five cannon and more than one 
thousand prisoners, the possession of Grand Gulf, and a firm foot- 
hold on the highlands between the Big Black and Bayou Pierre, from 
whence we threaten the whole line of the enemy, are among the 
fruits of this brilliant achievenaent. 

The march from Millikcn's Bend to the point opposite Grand Gulf 
wct4 wade in stormy -Meathcr^ over the worst of roads. Bridges and ferries 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 75 

had to be constructed. Moving by night as -veil as by day, with labor in- 
cessant, and extraordinary privations endured by men and officers, such as 
have been rarely paralleled iit any campaign, not a murmur oj complaint 
has been uttered. A few days continuance of the same zeal and con- 
stancy will secure to this army crowning victories over the rebellion. 
More difficulties and privations are before us ; let us endure thsm 
manfully. Other battles are to be fought; let us fight them bravely. 
A grateful country ~vill rejoice at our success, and history -will record it 
with immortal honor. 

U. S. Grant, Major-General Commanding. 

On the morning of the I3th, General Logan's division 
encountered the enemy strongly posted near Raymond, 
under command of General Gregg. Brisk skirmishing 
began at once, followed by a general engagement of three 
hours' hard fighting, when the enemy withdrew toward 
Jackson. Clinton was occupied by the Seventeenth Corps. 
On the 13th this Corps' advance was made simultaneously 
with that of the Fifteenth Army Corps, by way of Ray- 
mond on the Jackson turnpike road. 

General Joseph E. Johnston, who commanded at Jack- 
son, met the advance of Grant's forces outside of the city. 
After a spirited contest he was defeated, and retreated 
northward, leaving the city in the hands of the Union 
forces, abandoning eighteen guns and 286 prisoners in the 
hands of the Federals. 

Leaving Sherman to garrison Jackson, Generaf Grant 
ordered McPherson to march to Bolton on the direct road 
to Vicksburg, to meet a threatened attack from General 
Femberton, who was in command at Vicksburg. Orders 
were also issued to McCIernand and Blair to concentrate 
at the same point; Grant's object being to tiu-n and defeat 
Femberton before Johnston and his army could join him. 
General Johnston, after the battle of Jackson, had en- 
trenched himself on the north about fifteen miles from the 
city. General Grant, with an inferior force numerically 



76 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



knew that it was of the utmost moment to prevent this 
union of the rebel forces. Having learned that Pemberton 
had a foi^ce of 25,000 men at Edward's Station, Grant or- 
dered Sherman to join him as soon as possible, first des- 
troying all public property at Jackson, and at once made a 
disposition of his forces. 

The Confederates had chosen an admirable position for 
defence, their left resting on Champion's Hill, over which 
the road to Edward's Ferry runs. This hill rises sixty or 
seventy feet above the surrounding country; its sides are 
covered with a thick underbrush, and seamed with ravines, 
while its summit is bare, and afforded an admirable position 
for artillery. At 1 1 o'clock in the morning the battle 
of Champion's Hill was begun and was stubbornly con- 




THE PASSAGE OF THE BIG BLACK RIVEE.' 



tested with varj'ing results, when a brilliant and successful 
flank movement of Logan's division, on Pemberton's left 
threatening to cut off his line of retreat, carried dismay to 
the hearts of the rebel forces, and by four in the afternoon 
their rout was complete. This battle virtually decided the 
fate of Vicksburg. Pursuing the enemy at daylight the 



LIFE AND SERVICES. >J>J 

next morning, he was found strongly entrenched at Big 
Black River. Animated by their success of the previous 
day, the Union forces, without waiting for orders, rushed 
across a bayou, here twenty or more feet wide, in the midst 
of a murderous fire, which swept down many of their 
number. So sudden had been the attack of the assaulting 
party that the astonished rebels did not wait to defend their 
position, but broke and fled precipitately, an entire brig- 
ade falling into the hands of the Federals. The Confed- 
erate army, now little better than a mob, fled to Vicksburg, 
where their unexpected arrival and demoralized condition 
carried dismay and terror to its inhabitants. 

The loss to the Fede als had been nearly three thousand 
in the two engagements ; the Confederate loss over nine 
thousand in killed, wounded, and prisoners, besides thirty- 
eight cannon and large quantities of commissary stores. 

Early the next morning the Union army was moving 
on Vicksburg fifteen miles distant, and the investment of 
the place began. Scarcely three weeks had passed since 
the campaign was opened ; for thirteen days the men had 
had only six days' rations, and such supplies as the country 
afforded. In eighteen days Grant had marched 200 miles, 
had fought five battles, in which he had taken 6,500 
prisoners; killed and wounded 6,000 more; taken twenty- 
seven cannon and sixty-one pieces of field artillery. He 
had compelled the evacuation of Grand Gulf, had seized 
the capital of the State of Mississippi, and destroyed its net- 
work of railroads for thirty miles in all directions. His 
losses were 698 killed, 3,407 wounded, and 230 missing. 

As the crowning result of all this, he had invested the 
city and its garrison that had so long defied the advance O' 
the Union armies; all this had been accomplished against 
the advice of his Generals, and the orders of his superiors. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE SIEGE OF VICKSBURG. 

By the morning of the 19th, the investment of Vicksburg 
was complete; Sherman occupying the right of the line, 
McPherson the center, and McCler ^and the left. General 
Grant at once ordered an assault upon the Confederate 
works, which two days afterward was renewed, both at- 
tempts being unsuccessful. In hi? official reports he states 
his reasons for the assault as folio t//s: 

"There -were many reasons to determine me to adopt this course. I 
believed an assault from the position gained by this time could be made 
successfully. It was known that Johnston was at Canton, with the 
force taken by him from Jackson, reinforced by other troops from the 
east, and that more were daily reaching him. With the force I had, 
a short time must have enabled him to attack me in the rear, and pos- 
sibly succeed in raising the siege. Possession of Vicksburg at that 
time would have enabled me to turn upon Johnston, and drive him 
from the State, and possess myself of all the railroads and practical 
military highways, thus effectually securing to ourselves all territory 
west of the Tombigbee, and this before the season was too far ad- 
vanced for campaigning in this latitude. I would have saved govern- 
ment sending large reinforcements, much needed elsewhere ; and, fin- 
ally the troops themselves were impatient to possess Vicksburg, and 
would not have worked in the trenches with the same zeal (believing 
it unnecessary) that they did after their failure to carry the enemy's 
works." 

The artillery fire was terrific, and played havoc with 
the enemy's works. The gallant soldiers again and again 
attempted to scale the heights, but nothing mortal could 

(78) 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 79 

withstand the leaden hail from the enemy's entrenchments, 
and before night the troops were withdrawn. 

"The assault," says General Grant, "was gallant in the extreme 
on the part of all the troops, but the enemy's position was too strong, 
both naturally and artificially, to be taken in that way. At every 
point assaulted, and at all of them at the same time, the enemy was 
able to show all the force his works could cover. The assault failed, 
I regret to say, with much loss on our side in killed and wounded ; 
bnt without weakening the confidence of the troops in their ability 
ultimately to succeed." 

Says Sherman: "These several assaults, made simultaneously, 
demonstrated the strength of the natural and artificial defenses of 
Vicksburg, that they are garrisoned by a strong force, and that we 
must resort to regular approaches." 

Finding that Vicksburg could not be taken by storm, 
General Grant began a regular siege, and pressed it with 
ever increasing effort. He received invaluable aid from the 
fleet of Admiral Porter, who kept up an incessant bom- 
bardment of the unfortunate town. Space forbids a de- 
scription of the operations of this siege. From its com- 
mencement to its close it was one continued roar of battle, 
through which, notwithstanding the constant exposure to 
the fire of the foe, forts were erected, and trenches dug. 
For forty-six days the work continued unceasingly. 

While thus engaged General Grant was exposed to an 
attack fi-om Johnston in his rear. To General Sherman 
was assigned the task to look after Johnston. The amount 
of labor performed was prodigious; opposite the rebel 
works, works of equal magnitude were erected, twelve 
miles of trenches dug, eighty-nine batteries erected. By 
the last of June two hundred and twenty guns were in 
position. The defense was conducted with as much deter- 
mination as the assault was pressed. 



8o GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

On May 25 General Grant wrote General Banks who 
was then operating below Fort Hudson: 

"I feel that my force is abundantly strong to hold the enemy 
where he is, or to whip him if he should come out. The place is so 
strongly fortified, however, that it cannot be taken without eitlier a 
great sacrifice of life or by a regular siege. I have determined to 
adopt the latter course, and save my men. The great danger now to 
be apprehended is, that the enemy may collect a force outside, and 
attempt to rescue the garrison." 

On the 31st he again wrote: 

"It is now certain that Johnston has already collected a force 
from twenty thousand to twenty-five thousand strong, at Jackson and 
Canton, and is using every eftbrt to increase it to forty thousand. 
With this, he will undoubtedly attack Haines' Bluff, and compel me 
to abandon the investment of the city, if not reinforced before he can 
get here." 

General Grant had been reinforced by Lauman's divi- 
sion and four regiments from Memphis, two divisions of 
the Sixteenth Army Corps, Major-General C. C. Wash- 
burn commanding, Herron's division from the Depart- 
ment of the Missouri, two divisions from the Ninth Corps, 
under command of Major-General Parke. Sherman's 
corps held the extreme right, McPherson the center, and 
General Ord, now in command of General McClernand's 
corps, McClernand having been relieved, on McPherson's 
left, while Herron held the extreme left. General Blair 
held Haines' Bluff and the country between the Yazoo 
and the Big Black River. He was also ordered to watch 
the movements of Johnston and hold all fords on the Big 
Black. 

Every disposition was made by Grant to meet either a 
sortie from the invested town or from an attack in the 
I ear. The latter part of June the enemy's ammunition 
had become exhausted, as also his commissary supplies j 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



8i 



not only the garrison but the entire population were threat- 
ened with famine, the troops were reduced to eating mule 
meat; yet they still hoped that Johnston would come to 
their relief. Owing to the constant bombardment of 
the town the inhabitants were compelled to seek safety 
in caves dug in the steep banks where streets passed 
through. 

General Grant about this time formed an expedition to 
resist an advance of Johnston, he having been apprised of 




CAVES NEAR VICKSBURG. 



his threatened advance with a very large force. General 
Sherman was placed in command. In his notes to Gen- 
eral Sherman, accompanying the order for this advance 
movement, General Grant spoke of several letters written 
by the imprisoned garrison to their wives and friends. 
These letters had been found on a captured rebel courier. 
He says: « They seem to put a great deal of faith in the 
Lord and Joe Johnston^ hwt you must -wliip Johnston at 
\e?i?,ijifteen miles from here." He also issued the follow- 
ing order to General Parke, it shows the same decided de- 



82 GENERAL U. S. GRANt'S 

termination to whip the rebel chief, should he make the 
attempt to raise the siege r 

June 22, 1863. 
General Parke: — Sherman goes out from here with five brig- 
ades, and Osterhaus' Division subject to his orders besides. In addi- 
tion to this, another division, 5,000 strong, is notified to be in readiness 
to move on notice. In addition to this, I can spare still another divi- 
sion, 6,000 strong, if they should be required. We want to whip 
Johnston at least fifteen miles off, if possible. 

U. S. Grant, Major-Geiieral. 

The result of this movement was, that General John- 
ston finding Grant in force and ready to give battle, gave 
up all hopes of rescuing the doomed city, and retreated to 
Jackson. 

On the 25th of June the sappers and miners had 
pushed their work to completion and the mines were ready 
to be sprung, the utmost secrecy having been observed, the 
work being performed after dark. Everything being in 
readiness for the explosion a mine which had been dug 
under an imjDortant part of the enemy's works was fired. 
In this mine two thousand two hundred pounds of powder 
were placed. Its explosion was to be thq signal for a 
simultaneous attack from every gun on land and in the 
fleet — through the gorge cut by the explosion several 
thousand men were to rush to gain an advance position. 

In a dispatch of the same date a correspondent gives a 
brief sketch of the explosion: 

This morning the work, was completed, an immense quantity of 
gunpowder was stored in the cavity prepared to receive it, and the 
fuse train was laid. At noon the different regiments of the Seven- 
teenth Corps, selected to make the assault upon the breach when it 
should have been effected, were marshaled in long lines upon the 
near slopes of the hills immediately confronting the doomed rebel 
fortifications, where, disposed for the attack, they impatiently awaited 
the denouement. The rebels seemed to discover that some movement 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 83 

was on foot, for from the moment our troops came into position until 
the explosion took place their sharpshooters- kept up an incessant fire 
from the whole line of their works. 

At length all was in readiness ; the fuse train was fired, and it 
went fizzing and popping through the zigzag line of trenches, until 
for a moment it vanished. Its disappearance was quickly succeeded 
by the explosion, and the mine was sprung. So terrible a spectacle 
is seldom witnessed. Dust, dirt, smoke, gabions, stockades, timber, 
gun-carriages, logs — in fact, everything connected with the fort — 
rose hundreds of feet into the air, as if vomited forth from a volcano. 
Some who were close spectators even say that they saw the bodies 
of tli,e poor wretches who a moment before had lined the ramparts of 
the work. 

The Union lines wei'e still pressed forward and on the 
3d of July were within a few hundred feet of the rebel 
defenses. It was understood in both armies that the time 
had come for the final assault, and that July 4 was the day 
selected. General Pemberton was well aware that he 
could not repel the assault, and that he would be imable to 
cut his way out; further resistance was hopeless, and would 
cause unwarranted sacrifice of life. 

On the morning of the 3d, Pemberton sent a flag of 
truce borne by General Bowen and Colonel Montgomery 
to General Grant proposing an armistice with the object of 
arranging terms of capitulation, stating that it was his wish 
to save further eflfusion of blood. General Grant replied : 

Headquarters Department of Tennessee, } 
In the Field, near Vicksburg, July 3, 1S63. \ 

Lieutenant-General J. C. Pemberton, 

Commanding Confederate Forces y etc.: 
General: — Your note of this date, just received, proposes an arm- 
istice of several hours, for the purpose of arranging terms of capitu- 
lation through commissioners to be appointed, etc. The effusion of 
blood you propose stopping by this course, can be ended at any time 
you may choose, by an unconditional surrender of the city and garrison. 
Men who have shown so much endurance and courage as those now 



I 



84 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

in Vicksburg, will always challenge the respect of an adversary, and 
I can assure you will be treated with all the respect due them as 
prisoners of war. I do not favor the proposition of appointing com- 
missioners to arrange terms of capitulation, because J have no other 
terms than those indicated above. 

I am. General, very respectfully your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Major-General. 

General Bowea requested that General Grant meet 
General Pemberton in a personal interview^. General 
Grant readily agreed to do this, and at 3 o'clock in the 
afternoon a conference was held, resulting in no definite 
decision. A further correspondence between the command- 
ers resulted in General Grant agreeing to certain modifica- 
tions of his first letter, and General Pemberton immediately 
forwaixled his acceptance of the terms proposed. At 10 
o'clock on the morning of July 4, 1863, Vicksburg sur- 
rendered. By the act of capitulation the defenders, num- 
bering over thirty thousand men, became prisoners of war; 
313 pieces of artillery, 35,000 stand of arms, and an im- 
mense amount of ordnance and other matter fell into the 
hands of the victors. On the afternoon of the same day 
General Grant's army marched into the city. Headley in 
his valuable work, " Grant and his Campaigns," closes his 
article on the surrender of Vicksburg with the following 
comments: 

" In a review of this great campaign, Grant's actions shine so pre- 
eminently, that an estimate of the biographer, in the way of a sum- 
mury, is totally unnecessary. He was active, versatile, tenacious of 
purpose, Napoleonic in his judgment and use of men, with moral cour- 
age to assign or remove them according to their merits. And, com- 
bined with all these high qualities, he had exhibited remarkable skill 
in manoeuvring large armies in the field; in learning instant lessons 
from repulses; in conducting an arduous siege; in brushing away a 
succoring army — always preserving that equal mind which it is more 
difficult to keep in the extreme of prosperity than in that of adversity. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 85 

Undisturbed by his great troubles, he was not pulled up by the great 
success, but was ready for new labors, and, if God should send them, 
final successes. 

"It is no injustice toothers to say that his chief supporters were 
Sherman, McPherson and Logan. Sherman, like Grant, has achieved 
such universal reputation, that we need not pause to eulogize him. 
McPherson here exhibited to the public those qualities which Grant 
had long known him to possess, and whicii were to shine with increas- 
ing luster until his lamentable fall in the Georgia campaign. Logan's 
dashing valor was eminently conspicuous. Having declared that the 
Western men would hew their way to the Gulf, he was a bright 
example of the truth of his prediction; ever at his post, and always 
disiinguished for that fearless impetuosity which the world now con- 
siders his characteristic." 

Grant had now become the " ideal " General of the 
Union. His name was a household word, and his portrait 
adorned every home, high or low, throughout the land. 

When the news of this glorious victory officially reached 
President Lincoln, he wrote an autograph letter to Grant, 
as follows: 

Executive Mansion, Washington, July 13, 1S63. 
To Major-Geiieral Grant: 

My Dear General: — I do not remember that you and I ever 
met personally. 1 write this now as a grateful acknowledgement for 
the almost inestimable service you have done the country. I wish to say 
a word furtlier. When you first reached the vicinity of Vicksburg, I 
thought you should do what you finally did — march the troops across 
the neck, pun the batteries with the transports, and thus go below; 
and I never had any faith, except a general hope that you knew bet- 
ter than I, that the Yazoo Pass expedition and the like could succeed. 
When you got below and took Port Gibson, Grand Gulf and vicinity, 
I thought you sliould go down the river and join General Banks ; and 
when you turned northward east of the Big Black, I feared it was a 
mistake. I now wish to make a personal acknowledgement that you 
•were right and I -was •wrong. Yours very truly, 

A. Lincoln. 



86 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



The brilliant success of Vicksburg did riot induce Grant 
to rest his army, but only spurred him on to renewed efforts 
to disperse all organized troops in his district. General 
Sherman, with a strong force, was sent to drive Johnston 
out of Jackson, he having fallen back within the defenses 
of that city. Sherman prepared at once for the invest- 
ment of the place. 
Johnston, fearing the 
fate of Vicksburg, 
after slight skirmish- 
ing, evacuated the 
town. While this 
was taking place 
Grant sent Herron 
with his division to 
Yazoo City, where 
there was a consider- 
able rebel force, re- 
sulting in its capture 
with several hundred 
prisoners, artillery 
and public stores. On 
the 8th of July Port 
Hudson surrendered 
to General Banks. 
By its capitulation 
the Mississippi River was absolutely in control of the 
Union from its source to the Gulf, and never again passed into 
the hands of the Confederacy. The Mississippi Valley 
campaign was now virtually closed. President Lincoln 
honored the victor by nominating him to the vacant Major- 
Generalship in the Regular Army of the United States, 
his commission dating from July 4, 1863. 




UNION MONUMENT AT VICKSBURG. 



CHAPTER IX. 



PREPARATIONS AT CHATTANOOGA. 



Immediately succeeding the close of the Vicksburg cam- 
paign General Grant gave his time to the reorganization 
and administration of his department. Visiting from point 
to point, he personally inspected the condition and needs of 
each locality, settling all perplexing questions that naturally 
arose, owing to the absence of civil authority, regulating 
the military and civic jurisdiction over the conquered terri- 
tory, all of which were settled with great good judgment, 
and met with the hearty 
concurrence of the gov- 
ernment at Washington. 
Various expeditions 
were sent out in ev-ery 
direction to "spy out the 
nakedness of the land." 
An important one under 
General Ransom cap- 
tured Natchez; among 
the " spoils " were five 
thousand head of cattle 
designed for the Confed- 
erates. General Steele 
was dispatched to Helena to render important aid to 
General Schofield, commanding Department of the Mis- 
souri, Ord and Herron joined General Banks to take part 

(87) ■ 




NATUANIEL P. BANKS. 



88 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

in new movements projected in the Department of the 
Gulf. Testimonials and banquets were tendered to, and 
accepted by General Grant, from the cities of Memphis 
and New Orleans. 

At the latter city, while returning from a review of the 
Thirteenth Army Corps, his horse became frightened by 
the lettingoff of steam by a railroad locomotive. Dashing 
madly against a carriage that was coming in an oj^posite di- 
rection, horse and rider were thrown upon the street. The 
result was a most serious accident. His hip being tempor- 
arily paralyzed, rendered him quite helpless, nor was he able 
to walk without crutches, or mount his horse, without assist- 
ance until after he had reached Chattanooga, near the close 
of October. Many seriously thought that his services 
would be lost to the country. ^ 

Rosecrans, as stated in the previous chaptei", had, "by a 
scratch," won the battle of Murfreesboro, January 2, 
driving the Confederate General Bragg, into Southern 
Tennessee. On June 24, 1863, having had a long rest, 
and recruited his army, he again moved upon the enemy, 
and, by a series of flank movements, succeeded in crowding 
him into Georgia. The Union general following closely 
took post on the 9th of September, at Chattanooga, on the 
left bank of the Tennessee. 

Chattanooga at this time was probably the most import- 
ant strategic position in the Rebel States. It commands the 
southern entrance into Tennessee, and lies at the mouth of 
Chattanooga Valley, which is formed by Lookout Mountain 
and Missionary Ridge, tln-ough which Chattanooga Creek 
flows into the Tennessee. It is also the junction of the rail- 
ways leaillng from Memphis to Charleston, from Ricli- 
mond to Nashville, and south to Atlanta. 

The Confederates hatl l)een strongly reinforced by John- 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



89 



Stonfrom Mississippi, and Longstreet from Virginia, Bragg 
having at this time an'army of sixty thousand men; while 
Rosecrans' effective force was only forty-five thousand, he 
having had to garrison the places he had left in his rear. 
These were divided into three corps, commanded by 
Thomas, McCook, and Crittenden; the latter general held 
Chattanooga while the other corps were in the mountains, 
twenty miles distant. 

Owing to the threatened attitude of Bragg, Rosecrans 
brought his army together at Chickamauga Creek, about 




VIEW OF LOOKOUT MOtTNTAIN AND VALLEY FROM CHATTANOOGA. 

nine miles from Chattanooga. On the 19th of September 
General Bragg attacked the Union forces, and after two 
days' desperate fighting pierced the center, and scattered 
the right wing in utter rout from the field. General Rose- 
crans, with the shattered corps of McCook and Crittenden, 
left the field, retiring to Chattanooga. General Thomas 
commanding the Union left, with desperate firmness, hardly 
equalled in the annals of war, resisted every attempt of the 
enemv to dislodsre him or to get between him and Chatta- 



90 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



nooga. Bragg, finding that his attacks were useless, de- 
sisted from the attempt; when, at nightfall, under cover of 
the darkness, Thomas withdrew to Chattanooga. 

The Union losses in this hard-fought defense amounted 
in killed, wounded, and missing to nearly nineteen thou- 
sand, while the Confederates, being the attacking party, was 
even greater. Owing to the timely arrival of General 
Hooker with two corps from the Army of the Potomac, 
the army of Rosecrans was saved from a state of siege 
and all possibility of annihilation. 

On the 1 6th of October General Grant received a tele- 
graphic dispatch from Halleck instructing him to proceed 
at once to Louisville, Kentucky, with his staff, etc., for im- 
mediate operations in the field. At Indianapolis he was 
met by Secretary of War Stanton, who placed in his hands 
the following order of the War Depaitment: 

General Orders No. 337. 
War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, 
Washington, October 16, 1863. 
By direction of the President of the United States, the Departments 
of the Ohio, of the Cumberland, and of the Tennessee, will constitute 
the Military Division of the Mississippi. Major-General U. S. Grant, 
United States Army, is placed in command of the Military Division 
of the Mississippi, with his headquarters in the field. 

Major-General W. S. Rosecrans, United States volunteers, is re- 
lieved from the command of the Department and Army of the Cum- 
berland. Major-General G. H. Thomas is hereby assigned to that 
command. 

By order of the Secretary of War, 

E. D. Townsend, a. a. G. 

By this order General Grant was intrusted with the most 
extensive territory ever controlled by one general com- 
mander in the field in America. It comprised three depart- 
ments, before known as the Cumberland, the Ohio, and the 
Tennessee, embracing nine States and portions of States. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



91 



It extended from the Alleghenies to the Mississippi, and 
contained over two hundred thousand soldiers. The re- 
pulse of Rosecrans at Chattanooga had caused intense 
anxiety and interest throughout the North. It was felt 
that the crisis demanded energetic action, and that the hero 
of Vicksburg could alone extricate the Union forces from 
their perilous position. 

General Sherman, w^ho was at Memphis when he 
heard that Grant had been ordered North, at once wrote to 
him as follows: "Accept the command of the great Army 
of the Center; don't hesitate. By your presence at Nash- 
ville you will unite all discordant elements, and impress 
the enemy in propor- 
tion; all success and 
honor to you ! " 

Notwithstanding 
Grant's crippled con- 
dition, he at once set 
to work to concen- 
trate his forces at 
Chattanooga. To 
General Thomas at 
Chattanooga he tele- 
graphed at 1 1 o'clock 
on the night of Oc- 
tober I Q, from Louis- 
Mi ,, TT 11 /^l ^^ GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

ville: "Hold Chatta- 
nooga at all hazards; I will be there as soon as possible." 
Back flashed over the wires from the brave and noble 
Thomas: "I will hold the town till we starve." 

Early the next morning he proceeded to Nashville^ 
from which point he issued se\-eral orders. To Burnside, 
who was in command of the Department of the Ohio, and 




92 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



in a critical position at Knoxville, Tenn., he telegraphed: 
"Have you tools for fortifying? Important points in East 
Tennessee should be put in condition to be held by the 
smallest number of men as soon as possible. * * * * 
I will be in Stephenson to-morrow night, and Chattanooga 
the next night." 

To Admiral Porter he telegraphed : " General Sher- 
man's advance was at Eastport on the 15th. The sooner a 
gunboat can be got to him, the better. Boats must now 
be on the way from St. Louis with supplies to go up the 

Tennessee to Sherman." 
To Thomas, who was 
compelled to cart his 
supplies by wagon road 
from Nashville, sixty 
miles over the moun- 
tain, he wires: "Should 
not large working 
parties be put upon the 
road to Bricigeport and 
Chattanooga at once?" 
Nearing Bridgeport he 
telegraphs back to Nash- 
ville : "Send to the front, 
as speedily as possible, 
vegetables for the army. Beans and hominy are espe- 
cially required." All this time the army under Thomas was 
on half rations; three thousand men were in the hospital, 
ten thousand mules and horses had died around the town, 
while their ammunition had been so reduced that they could 
not have fought another battle. The whole army seemed 
disheartened. Arrived at Bridgeport, Grant and his staff 
mounted horses and proceeded in a pouring rain over roads 




COMMODORE PORTER. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 93 

torn up by the mountain torrents, and strewn with debris 
of army wagons, trains and dead animals. 

On the night of October 23, cold, weary and hungry he 
reached Chattanooga and proceeded at once to General 
Thomas' tent. The following morning Grant and Thomas 
rode out along the front, examining critically every position 
held by the enemy. Before nightfall he had matured plans 
and issued orders for a movement to open a road between 
Chattanooga and Bridgeport. The southern shore of the 
Tennessee being then held by the enemy, prevented the use 
of this road by the Union army. Once in their possession, 
supplies could be received by steamers, or ordinary teams 
from Bridgeport. General Grant selected General Hooker, 
who had earned the soubriquet of " Fighting Joe Hooker," 
at the East, for this undertaking. The details of this 
movement were as follows : General Hooker with the Elev- 
enth and Twelfth Corps was to cross the river at Bridge- 
port twenty miles below, and advance up Lookout Vallev to 
Wauhatchie, and threaten on Bragg' s flank. General W. F. 
Smith, with 4,000 men was to seize the range of hills north 
of^ookout Valley, near Brown's Ferry. A force under Gen- 
eral Palmer was to cross in front of the city, and march down 
the river to a point opposite Whitesides, to Hooker's support. 

On the night of October 26, 1,400 picked men from 
Hazen's brigade, floated down in .fifty-six pontoon boats, 
each containing about thirty men; hugging the northern 
bank, they passed the rebel batteries and pickets without 
being discovered, and landed on the south side of the river 
near Brown's Ferry. After a slight skirmish they drove 
the Confederate pickets, and took possession of a ridge 
which is here 300 feet high, and before daylight had estab- 
lished their position, thrown up entrenchments and planted 
their batteries; by 10 o'clock a very excellent pontoon 
bridge was completed. 



94 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



While this important movement was in progress, the 
column, under Hooker, after considerable fighting, forced 
its way up Lookout Valley, and formed a junction with 
Hazen, thereby placing the Valley once more iil the hands 
of the Union army. General Bragg, realizing the impor- 
tance of the Union position, sent Longstreet with his 
whole corps to make a night attack upon this vital point. A 
fierce conflict ensued, resulting in the repulse of the enemy. 
Thus, in five days after Grant's arrival, he had opened 
connection with his base of supplies at Nashville; food, 

clothing, blankets, and 
shoes were supplied to 
the half-starved troops, 
and all danger of pros- 
pective starvation re- 
moved. The condition 
of the army was now 
changed ; he had found 
the troops cheerless, 
feeble from lack of food, 
and disheartened by re- 
cent defeat. Now they 
felt the inspiriting ef- 
fects of a master mind, 
they were hopeful, courageous, and well-fed. 

Just i^revious to Grant's taking command. General 
Bragg, in his report to Richmond, says : " These disposi- 
tions, faithfully sustained, insured the speedy evacuation of 
Chattanooga for want of food and forage. Possessed of 
the shortest route to his depot, and the one by which rein- 
forcements must reach him, we held him at our mercy, and 
his destruction was only a question of time." 

About this time President Davis visited the rebel army, 




JEFFERSON DAVIS. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



95 



to ascertain the true condition of affairs, and it is stated 
that the following scene occurred. As Davis looked down 
upon the Union army almost beneath his feet in the valley 
below, from the lofty eminence of Lookout Moinitain: "I 
have them now,'' said he," in just the trap I set for them." 
To this remark, General Pemberton, who was sitting on 
horseback beside him, remai"ked, "Mr. Davis, you are 
Commander-in-Chief, and you are here; you think the 
enemy are in a trap, and can be captured by vigorous as- 
sault; I have been 
blamed for not having 
ordered a general at- 
tack on the enemy 
when they were draw- 
ing around me their 
lines of circumvalla- 
tion at Vicksburg, 
Do you now order an 
attack upon these 
troops down there 
below us, and I will 
bet you my life that 

not one G — d 

man of the attacking 

column will ever come back across that valley, except as 

a prisoner." 

When Rosecrans was removed the Rebel press sneered 
at the appointment of Grant ; they said : "The Federals have 
taken away one general (Rosecrans) and put two fools 
(Grant and Thomas) in his place." Some one called Presi- 
dent Lincoln's attention to this attempt at wit by the Rebel 
paper, who said that he was "reminded of the story" of 
the Irishman, who, when buying a cooking stove, being 




JOS£FH HOOKEB. 



q6 general u. s. grant's 

told that "this one will save half 3'our fuel," answered : 
"Faith then, I'll take two stoves and save the whole.*' 
He said: "If one fool like Grant can win such victories 
and accomplish what he has, I don't object to two; for they 
will certainly wipe out the rest of the Rebellion." 

After Grant's successful movement in relieving his army, 
The Richmond Enquirer^ in an editorial, became 
alarmed, and severely criticised the movements and apathy 
of Bragg. It said: "The enemy was out-fought at Chick- 
amauga; (thanks to the army!) but the present position of 
affairs looks as though we had been out-generaled at Chat- 
tanooga." An Atlanta newspaper of November 9, 1S63, 
fully realizing the importance of crushing the Union force 
at Chattanooga, said : 

"The Yankee Army of the Cumberland holds the door to lower 
East Tennessee, and this door we must le:ive open. * * * If we continue 
to gaze listlessly from the bold knobs of Missionary Ridge upon the 
comfortable barracks of the Federals below, then may we tremble for 
the next campaign ; for, as sure as there is any surety in the future, the 
spring of 1S64 must see us far from the borders of Georgia, or near to 
the verge of destruction. Nail it to your door posts, men of the 
South, and refuse to be deluded into any other belief. Food and rai- 
ment are our needs. We must have them. Kentucky and Middle 
Tennessee can only supply them. Better give up the sea-coast, better give 
up the South-west, aye, better to give up Richjnond 'without a struggle, 
and ivin these, than lose the golden field, ivhose grain and ■wool are our 
sole hope. The enemy has just one army too many in the field for us. 
We must crush this overplus; we must gain one signal Stonewall 
Jackson campaign. Destiny points to the very place. Be Rosecrans 
the victim. Defeat him, pulverize him, run him to the Ohio River, 
and then close the war with the next summer. And how.? Nothing 
easier. The bee which has really stung our flank so long, once dis- 
posed of, our triumphant legions have a clear road before them. Fed 
sumptuously through the winter, well shod and clad, they have only to 
meet a dispirited foe, retake the valley of the Mississippi, secure the 
election of a peace Democrat to the Presidency in the fall, and arrange 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 9^ 

the terms of treaty and independence. Tliese results can be accom- 
plished nowhere else than in this department. The Northwest is ou. 
real adversary." 

Grant now made every preparation for an aggressive 
movement. Stores of all kinds were hurried forward, and 
daily drills and parades took place in front of the works — 
within plain view of the enemy's pickets and sentinels. 
Everything had settled down into a quiet routine. Yet in 
the midst of this quiet the Union Commander was matur- 
nig schemes for the annihilation of the rebel forces in his 
front, and the relief of East Tennessee. The vast complica- 
tions involved in these plans, and their subsequent successful 
accomplishment, show the master mind of Grant. His 
watchful eye was everywhere. Sherman toihng with his 
army four hundred miles overland from Memphis, was 
daily watched. On October 24 Grant telegraphs him : 
"Drop everything east of Bear Creek and move with your 
entire force toward Stephenson, until you receive further 
orders. The enemy are evidently moving a large force 
toward Cleveland, and may break through our lines and 
move on Nashville, in which event your troops are the only 
forces at command that could beat them there." Again on 
November 7 : "The enemy have moved a great pai't of 
their force from this front toward Burnside. I have to 
make an immediate move from here toward their lines of 
-^communication, to bring them back if possible. I am 
anxious to see your old corps here at the earliest moment," 
At Fayette Sherman receives another dispatch: "Come 
on to Stephenson and Bridgeport with your four divisions. 
I want your command to aid in a movement to force the 
enemy back from their present position, and to make Burn- 
side secure in his." 

The sufferings of the noble Union men of Eastern Ten- 
7 



^S GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

nessee deeply moved the commanding general. The per- 
secutions from the rebel element were of every conceivable 
form. "They v^^ere thrown into filthy prisons ; they had 
been hung or shot; tied to logs and whipped to death; 
their houses plundered and burned over their heads; hus- 
bands murdered before their wives and children; or, es- 
caping this, they had fled to caves to die by starvation, or 
to be fed by the hand of charity." Everything that the 
"barbarism of slavery" could devise to force the people 
into support of the Rebellion was done. They had from the 
first protested against secession and proved loyal tp the 
Union through all their sufferings. General Grant deter- 
mined to put a stop to this style of warfare, and issued the 
following order, which he saw was executed to the letter 
whenever opportunity offered. 

Headquarters Military Division of the Mississippi, ) 
IN THE Field, Chattanooga, Tenn., November 5, 1863. ) 

[General Orders vVo. 4.] 

The habit of raiding parties of rebel cavalry visiting towns, villages 
and farms where there are no Federal forces, and pillaging Union fam- 
ilies, having become prevalent, department commanders will take im. 
mediate steps to stop the evil, or make the loss by such raids fall upon 
secessionists and secession sympathizers in the neighborhood where 
such acts are committed. For every act of violence to the person of 
an unarmed Union citizen, a secessionist will be arrested and held as 
hostage for the delivery of the offender. For every dollar's worth of 
property taken from such citizens, or destroyed by raiders, an assess- 
ment will be made upon secessionists of the neighborhood, and col- 
lected by the nearest military forces, under the supervision of the 
commander thereof, and the amount thus collected paid over to the 
sufferers. When such assessments cannot be collected in money, 
property useful to the government may be taken at a fair valuation, 
and the amount paid in money by a disbursing officer of the govern- 
ment, who will take such property upon his returns. Wealthy seces- 
sion citizens will be assessed in money and provisions for the support 
of Union refugees who have been and may be driven from their homes 



LIFE AND SERVICES. f)9 

and into our lines by the acts of those with whom secession citizens 
are in sympathy. All collections an-i payments under this order will 
be through disbursing officers of 'he government, whose accounts 
must show all money and prope-ty received under it, and how dis- 
posed of. By order of 

Major-Gencral U. S. Grant. 
T, S. BowEKS, yl. A. G. 

The commanding Geuf ral fully realized the exigence, 
and needed no urging. Every nerve of energy w^as strained 
to its utmost tension. To reinforce Burnside was impos- 
sible, even if they could have been spared, for there was no ' 
means of supplying them with food. From all portions of 
the East and Southeast rebel forces were being hurried for- 
ward to Longstreet; few believed that he would be able 
to withstand the assaults that would be made upon him. 
Grant never wavered in his confidence in the soldierly 
qualities of Burnside, and believed that he would maintain 
his position until relief should come. 

General B.uleau in his "Military History of General 
Grant," in speaking of the measures adopted for Burnside's 
relief, says: 

"The continent shook with the tramp of advancing armies. 
Bridges were built in Eastern cities for these soldiers to march over. 
Engines were brought from Western towns to transport their supplies. 
The greatest rivers of the Republic, the Tennessee and the Cumber- 
land, the Mississippi and the Ohio, were crowded with steamers 
bringing clothes and shoes to those who were wearing out their gar- 
ments in mighty marches, and ammunition and food to replace what 
had already been expended in the campaigns for Chattanooga. 

"Over half the territory in rebellion, through these great moun- 
tain ranges and by the side of these rushing streams, along the deso- 
lated cornfields and amid the startled recesses of the primeval forests, 
the bustle and the stir of war- were rife. Two hundred thousand sol- 
diers were concentrating from the East and the West, either in 
motion for this one battle-field, or guarding its approaches, or briu':;- 
ing up supplies, or waiting anxiously for those who were, with them, 
to fight the battle of Chattanooga. And over all these preparations, 
and all these armies, the spirit of one man was dominant." 



CHAPTER X. 



BATTLES OF MISSIONARY RIDGE AND LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 



On the 13th of November the head of General Sherman's 
Corps arrived at Bridgeport, its commander immediately vis- 
iting Grant at Chattanooga. The addition of this "fighting 
corps" to the Union forces removed all anxiety from the 
mhid of Grant; and he was in condition to deliver a stun- 
ing blow to the enemy, who had made the' fatal mistake of 
detaching the veteran corps of Longstreet with its able 
commander to attack Burnside, and take Knoxville. Noth- 
ing could have proved more satisfactory to Grant, and it 

was impossible for him 
to wholly conceal his 
joy. Burnside had been 
warned as early as No- 
vember 5, by Grant, as 
follows: "I will en- 

deavor, from here, to 
bring the enemy back 
from your right flank as 
Kin as possible. Should 
l\()u discover him leav- 
ing, you should annoy 
him all you can with 
your cavalry, and . in 
fact, witli all the troops you can bring to bear. Sher- 
man's advance will be at Bridgeport about Monday next. 

(100) 




AUBBOSB B. BUBNSIDE. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. lOI 

Whether Thomas makes any demonstration before his 
arrival, will depend upon advices of tlie enemy's 
movements." 

On the 7th he issued the following order to General 
Thomas: *'The news is of such a nature that it becomes 
an imperative duty for your force to draw the attention of 
the enemy from Burnside to your own front. I deem the 
best movement to attack the enemy, to be an attack on the 
northern end of Missionary Ridge, with all the force you 
can bring to bear against it; and, when that is carried, to 
threaten and even attack, if possible, the enemy's line of 
communication between Dalton and Cleveland. Rations 
should be ready to issue a sufficiency to last four days the 
moment Missionary Ridge is in our possession ; rations to be 
carried in haversacks. Where there are not horses to 
move the artillery, mules must be taken from teams, or 
horses from ambulances; or, if necessary, officers dis- 
mounted, and their horses taken. Immediate preparations 
should be made to carry these directions into execution. 
The movement should not be made a moment later than 
to-morrow morning." 

On the same day he said to Burnside: "I have ordered 
an immediate move from here to Missionary Ridge, and to 
threaten or attack the railroad between Cleveland and 
Dalton. This must have the effect to draw the enemy 
back from your western front." Thomas was in such con- 
dition at this time that he could not make this forward 
movement, and so informed Grant. Having no horses for 
his artillery, under the circumstances, and a sober second 
thought, suggested by that ''calm prudence which is one of 
his best characteristics," he concluded to await the arrival of 
Sherman's force; and while thus waiting he had to content 
hii^iself with exhorting Burnside to keep firm, and with 



I02 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

preparing the means for supplying his army with supplies 
and material, so that it would be able to take the offensive 
when the time came for so doing. * 

The anxiety of the government at Washington for the 
safety o^ Burnside is shown in the dispatches that follow. 
On the 14th Halleck telegraphed: "Advices received 
from East Tennessee indicate that Burnside intends to 
abandon the defense of Little Tennessee River, and fall 
back before Longstreet toward Cumberland Gap and the 
upper valley. Longstreet is said to be near the Little Ten- 
nessee, with from twenty to forty thousand men; Bui-nside 
has about thirty thousand in all, and can hold his position; 
he ought not to retreat. I fear further delay may result in 
Burnside's abandonment of East Tennessee. This would be 
a terrible misfortune, and must be averted if possible." 

To this Grant replied, reassuringly: "Burnside cer- 
tainly can detain Longstreet in the Tennessee Valley until 
we can make such moves here as will entirely free him 
from present dangers. I have asked him if he could hold 
the Knoxville and Clinton line for one week; if so, we can 
make moves here that will save all danger in East Tennes- 
see. . . . Sherman is now at Bridgeport. He will 
commence moving to-morrow or next day, throwing one 
brigade from Whiteside into Trenton, thus threatening tlie 
enemy's left flank. The remainder of his force will pass 
over Kelly's Ferry, evading view from Lookout, and 
march up to the mouth of Chickamauga. Pontoons are 
made, and making, to throw across at that point, over 
which it is intended that Sherman's force and one division 
of Thomas' shall pass. This force will attack Missionary 
Ridge, with the left flank of Thomas supporting from; 
liere. In the meantime Hooker will attack Lookout, and 
cany it, if possible. If Burnside can hold the line from 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



103 



Knoxville to Clinton, as I have asked him, for six clays, I 
believe Bragg will be started back for the south side of 
Oostanaula, and Longstreet cut off." 

On the 17th he telegraphs: "I have not heard from you 
since the 14th. What progress is Longstreet making, and 
what are your chances for defending yourself ? Sherman's 
forces have commenced their movement from Bridgeport, 
threatening the enemy. This alone may turn Longstreet 
back, and if it does not, the attack will be prosecuted until 
we reach the roads over which all the supplies must pass, 
while you hold East Tennessee." 

Later on the same day: "Your dispatch received. 
You are doing exactly what appears to me to be right. I 
want the enemy's progress retarded at every point all it can 
be, only giving up each place when it becomes evident that 
it cannot longer be held without endangering your force to 
capture. I think our movements here must cause Long- 
street's recall within a day or two, if he is not successful 
before that time. Sherman moved this morning* from 
Bridgeport, with one division. The remainder of his com- 
mand moves in the morning. There will be no halt until 
a severe battle is fought, or the railroads cut supplying the 
enemy." 

On the iSth he telegraphs Halleck: "Dispatches from 
General Burnside received at 10 p. m. yesterday. Troops 
had got back from Knoxville. Sherman's advance reached 
Lookout Mountain to-day. Movements will progress, 
threatening enemy's left flank, until forces can be got up. 
and thi-own across the river to attack their right flank and 
Missionary Ridge. A battle or a falling back of the enemy 
is inevitable by Saturday, at the farthest. Burnside speaks 
hopefully." 

On this day he also gives written orders to Thomas 



I04 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

and Sherman. Those to Thomas were as follows: "All 
preparations should be made for attacking the enemy's posi- 
tion on Missionary Ridge by Saturday morning, at day- 
light. . . . The general plan is for Sherman, with the force 
brought with him, strengthened by a division from your 
command, to effect a crossing of the Tennessee River just 
below the mouth of the Chickamauga; his crossing to be 
protected by artillery from the heights of the north bank 
of the river (to be located by your chief of artillery), and 
to secure the heights (Missionary Ridge) from the north- 
ern extremity to about the railroad tunnel, before the enemy 
can concentrate against him. You will cooperate with 
Sherman. The troops in the Chattanooga Valley should 
all be concentrated on your left flank, leaving only the 
necessaiy force to defend fortifications on the right and 
center, and a movable column of one division in readiness 
to move wherever ordered. This division should show 
itself as threateningly as possible, on the most practicable line 
for making an attack up the valley. Your effort, then, will 
be to form a junction with Sherman, making your advance 
well toward the northern end of Missionary Ridge, and 
moving as near simultaneously with him as possible. The 
junction once formed, and the Ridge carried, connection 
will be at once established between the two armies by 
roads on the south bank of the river. Further movements 
will then depend on those of the enemy. 

"Lookout Valley, I think, will be easily held by 
Geary's Division, and what troops you may still have there 
of the old Army of the Cumberland. Howard's Corps can 
then be held in readiness to act, either with you at Chatta- 
nooga, or with Sherman. It should be marched, on Friday 
night, to a position on the north side of the river, not 
lower down than the first pontoon bridge (at Chatta- 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



105 



nooga), and then held in readiness for such orders as may 
become necessary. All these troops will be provided with 
two days' cooked rations, in haversacks, and one hundred 
rounds of ammunition on the person of each infantry 
soldier.''' 

To Sherman a copy of these instructions was furnished 
for his guidance, and he was told: *'It is particularly desir- 
able that a force should be got through the railroad between 
Cleveland and Dalton, and Longstreet thus cut off from 
communication with the South; but being confronted bv a 
large force here, strongly located, it is not easy to tell how 
this is to be effected until the result of our first effort is 
known." 

The preliminary movements and furiously contested 
battles around Chattanooga occupied several days and re- 
sulted in an overwhelming victory for the Union forces. 
The details of this important contest cannot better be told 
than in the following pithy dispatch from General Meigs, 
Quartermaster General of the United States Army, who 
was present during the entire action: 

Headquarters Chattanooga, Nov. 26, 1863. 
Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War: 

Sir: — On the 23d inst., at half-past 11 A. m., General Grant 
ordered a demonstration against Missionary Ridge, to develop the 
force holding it. The troops marched out, formed in order, and 
advanced in line of battle, as if on parade. 

The Rebels watched the formation and movement from their 
picket lines and rifle pits, and from the summits of Missionary Ridge, 
five hundred feet above us, and thought it was a review and drill, so 
jopenly and deliberately, so regular, was it all done. 

The line advanced, preceded by skirmishers, and at 2 o'clock 
p. M. reached our picket lines, and opened a rattling volley upon the 
Rebel pickets, who replied and ran into their advanced line of rifle- 
pits. After them went out our skirmishers and into them, along the 



I06 GENERAL U. So GRANT's 

center of the line of 25,000 troops which General Thomas had so 
quickly displayed, until we opened fire. Prisoners assert that they 
thought the whole movement was a review and general drill, and 
that it was too late to send to their camps for re-inforcements, and 
that they were overwhelmed by force of numbers. It was a surprise 
in open daylight. 

At 3 p. M. the important advanced position of Orchard Knob and 
the lines right and left were in our possession, and arrangements 
were ordered for holding thenr^ during the night. 

The next day at daylight General Sherman had 5,000 men across 
the Tennessee, and established on its south bank, and commenced 
the construction of a pontoon bridge about six miles above Chatta- 
nooga. The Rebel steamer " Dunbar '' was repaired at the right 
moment, and rendered effective aid in this crossing, carrying over 
6,000 men. 

By nightfall General Sherman had seized the extremity of Mis- 
sionary Ridge nearest the river, and was entrenching himself. Gen- 
eral Howard, with a brigade, opened communication with him from 
Chattanooga on the south side of the river. Skirmishing and can- 
nonading continued all day on the left and center. General Hooker 
scaled the slopes of Lookout Mountain, and from the vallev of Look- 
put Creek drove the Rebels around the point. He captured some 
2,000 prisoners, and established himself high up the motuitain side, 
in full view of Chattanooga. This raised the blockade, and now 
steamers were ordered from Bridgeport to Chattanooga. They had 
run only to Kelly's Ferry, whence ten miles of hauling over moun- 
tain roads and twice across the Tennessee on pontoon bridges, 
brought us our supplies. 

All night the point of Missionary Ridge on the extreme left, and 
the side of Lookout Mountain on the extreme right, blazed with the 
camp fires of loyal troops. 

The day had been one of dense mists and rains, and much of 
General Hooker's battle was fought above the clouds, which con- 
cealed him from our view, but from which his musketry was heard. 

At nightfall the sky cleared, and the full moon — "the traitor's 
doom" — shone upon the beautiful scene, until i A. M., when twink- 
ling sparks upon the mountain side showed that picket skirmishing 
was going on. Then it ceased. A brigade sent from Chattanooga 
crossed the Chattanooga Creek, and opened communication with 
Hooker- 



LIFE AND SERVICES. IO9 

General Grant's headquarters during the afternoon of the 23d 
and the day of the 24th were in Wood's redoubt, except when, in Ihe 
course of the day, he rode along the advanced line, visiting the head- 
quarters of the several commanders in Chattanooga Valley. 

At daylight on the 25th the Stars and Stripes were descried on 
tlie peak of Lookout. The Rebels had evacuated the mountain. 

Hooker moved to descend the mountain, striking Missionary 
Ridge at the Rossville Gap, to sweep both sides and its summit. 

The Rebel troops were seen, as soon as it was light enough, 
streaming regiments and brigades along the narrow summit of Mis- 
sionary Ridge, either concentrating on the right to overwhelm 
Sherman, or marching for the railroad to raise the siege. 

They had evacuated the valley of Chattanooga. Would tliey 
abandon that of Chickamauga.'' 

The twenty -pounders andfounand-a-quarter inch rifles of Wood's 
redoubt opened on Missionary Ridge. Orchard Knob sent its com- 
pliments to the Ridge, which, with rifled Parrotts, answered, and the 
cannonade, thus commenced, continued all day. Shot and shell 
screamed from Orchard Knob to Missionary Ridge, and from Mis- 
sionary Ridge to Orchard Knob, and from Wood's redoubt, over the 
heads of Generals Grant and Thomas and their staffs, who were 
with us in this favorable position, from whence the whole battle could 
be seen as in an amphitheatre. The headquarters were under fire all 
day long. 

Cannonading and musketry were heard from General Sherman, 
and General Howard marched the Eleventh Corps to join him. 

General Thomas sent out skirmishers, who drove in the Rebel 
pickets and chased them into, their entrenchments, and at the foot of 
Missionary Ridge Sherman made an assault against Bragg's right, 
entrenched on a high knob'next to that on which Sherman himself 
lay fortified. The assault was gallantly made. 

Sherman reached the edge of the crest, and held his ground for 
(it seemed to me) an hour, but was bloodily repulsed by reserves. 

A general advance was ordered, and a strong line of skirmishers 
followed by a deployed line of battle some two miles in length. At 
the signal of leaden shots from headquarters on Orchard Knob, the 
line moved rapidly and orderly forward. The Rebel pickets dis- 
charged their muskets and ran into their rifle-pits. Our skirmishers 
followed on their heels. 

The line of battle was not far behind, and we saw the gray Rebels 



no GENERAL U. S, GRANf'S 

swarm out of the ledge line of rifle-pits and over the base of the hill 
in numbers which surprised us. A few turned and fired their pieces; 
bat the greater number collected into the many roads which cross 
obliquely up its steep face, and went on to the top. 

Some regiments pressed on and swarmed up the steep sides of 
the Ridge, and here and there a color was advanced beyond the lines. 
The attempt appeared most dangerous; but the advance was sup 
ported, and the whole line was ordered to storm the heights, upon 
which not less than forty pieces of artillery, and no one knew how 
many muskets, stood ready to slaughter the assailants. With cheers 
answering to cheers, the men swarmed upward. They gathered to 
the points least difficult of ascent, and the line was broken. Color 
after color was planted on the summit, while musket and cannon 
vomited their thunder vipon them. 

A well-directed shot from OrchardKnob exploded a Rebel caisson 
on the summit, and the gun was seen being speedily taken to the right, 
its driver lashing his horses. A party of our soldiers intercepted 
them, and the gun was captured, with cheers. 

A fierce musketry fight broke out to the left, where, between 
Thomas and Sherman, a mile or tw^o of the Ridge was still occupied 
by the Rebels. 

Bragg left the house in which he had held his headquarters, and 
rode to the rear as our troops crowded the hill on either side of him. 

General Grant proceeded to the summit, and then only did we 
know its height, 

Soine of the captured artillery was put into position. Artillerists 
were sent for to work the guns, and caissons were searched for 
ammunition. 

The Rebel log breastworks were torn to pieces and carried to the 
other side of the Ridge, and used in forming barricades across. 

A strong line of infantry was formed in the rear of Baird's line, 
and engaged in a musketry contest with the Rebels to the left, and a 
secure lodgment was soon effected. 

The other assault to the right of our center gained the summit, 
and the Rebels threw down their arms and fled. 

Hooker, coming into favorable position, swept the right of the 
Ridge, and captured many prisoners. 

Bragg's remaining troops left early in the night, and the battle of 
Chattanooga, after days of manoeuvring and fighting, was won. The 
strength of the llebellion in the center is broken. Burnside is 



LIFE AND SERVICES. Ill 

relieved from danger in East Tennessee. Kentucky and Tennessee 
are rescued. Georgia and the Southeast are threatened in the rear, 
and another victory is added to the chapter of " Unconditioiial Surren- 
der Granty 

To-night the estimate of captures is several thousand prisoners 
and thirty pieces of artillery. 

Our loss for so gi-eat a victory is not severe. 

Bragg is firing the railroad as he retreats toward Dalton. 
Sherman is in hot pursuit. 

To-day I viewed the battle-field, which extends for six miles along 
Missionary Ridge and for several miles on Lookout Mountain. 

Probably not so well-directed, so well-ordered a battle, has taken 
place during the war. But one assault was repulsed ; but that assault, 
by calling to that point the Rebel reserves, prevented them repulsing 
any of the others. 

A few days since Bragg sent to General Grant a flag of truce 
advising him that it would be prudent to remove any non-combatants 
who might be .still in Chattanooga. No reply has been returned ; 
but the combatants having removed from the vicinity, it is probable 
that non-combatants can remain without imprudence. 

M. C. Meigs, Quartermaster-General. 

In securing this great victory the Union forces had lost 
757 killed, 4,529 wounded lind 330 missing. The loss of 
the Confederates has never been ascertained, but reached 
probably beyond fifteen thousand. General Grant cap- 
tured 6,143 prisoners, 40 pieces of artillery, 69 artillery 
carriages, and caissons, and 7,000 stand of small arms. 

Not satisfied with the first fruits Of this victory Grant 
ordered the retreating enemy to be hotly pursued, which 
was successfully accomplished, they being forced back 
upon Ringgold. Further pursuit was abandoned, owing to 
the necessity of relieving Burnside at Knoxville. 

Grant had by his masterly movement in turning the 
enemy back upon Dalton and Ringgold thrown Sherman 
and his corps between Longstreet and Bragg, and he at 
once dispatched General Granger and other forces under 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 



Sherman to the reHef of Burnside who had fallen back 
within the entrenchments at Knoxville, in order to draw 
Longstreet as far away from Bragg as possible and thereby 
preventing him from reinforcing that unfortunate yet 
brave general. 

Learning that Bragg had been defeated at Chattanooga, 
and realizing that Grant would at once reinforce Burnside 
and raise the siege, Longstreet determined to carry the 
Union works by storm, and selected November 29, 1863, for 
the assault. Though made with great gallantry the as- 
sault proved a failure, 
and long before he 
could recover from the 
effects of this he found 
that the several Union 
columns sent for the 
relief of the besieged 
^ city were gathering 
around him in such a 
^ manner that if he did 
not withdraw from his 
';^ /^ \ position, he would be 

^_ (^^^§^'|^i|:^:^^^K^(^^n completely surround- 

TAMES LONGSTREET. ^ , 1 • 1 

-" December 4 he raised 

the siege of the place and retreated eastward toward 
Virginia. 

With the raising of the siege of Knoxville this re- 
markable campaign ended, and the war in the Southwest 
was substantially closed. 

On the same day the President issued the following 
proclamation for a national thanksgiving; 




LIFE AND SERVICES. II3 



^E Mansion, ) 
iber 7, 1863. r 



Executive 
Washington, D. C, December 

Reliable information being received that the insurgent force is 
retreating from East Tennessee, under circumstances rendering it 
probable that the Union forces cannot hereafter be dislodged from 
lliat important position ; and esteeming this to be of high national 
consequence, I recommend that all loyal people do, on receipt of 
this information, assemble at their places of worship, and render 
special homage and gratitude to Almighty God for this grest ad- 
vancfemenl of the national cause. A. Lincoln. 

The following day he sent the following dispatch to 
Major-General Grant : 

Washington, Dec. S. 
Major-General Grant: 

Understanding that your lodgment at Chattanooga and Knoxville 
is now secure, / ivish to tender you and all under your comtnand my 
more than thanks — my frqfoundest gratittide for the skilly courage 
and per sever a7ice -with -which you and tkey, over so great difficulties, 
have effected that important object. God bless you all ! 

A. Lincoln. 

The campaign ended, General Grant issued the follow- 
ing congratulatory orders to the army : 



Headquarters Military Division of the 
Mississippi, in the Field. 



a 

Chattanooga, Tennessee, December 10, 1863. 

\Ge7teral Orders No.g^ 

The General Commanding takes this opportunity of returning 
his sincere thanks and congratulations to the brave armies of the 
Cumberland, the Ohio, the Tennessee, and their comrades from the 
Potomac" for the recent splendid and decisive successes achieved over 
the enemy. In a short time you have recovered from him the control of 
the Temiessee River Jrom Bridgeport to Knoxville. Ton dislodged 
hi?n frojn his great strofighold upon Lookout Mountain^ drove him 
Jrom Chattanooga Valley, ivrested from his determined grasp the 
possession of Missionary Ridge, repelled 7vith heavy loss to him his re- 
peated assaults upon KtioxvUle^ forcing him to raise the siege ihere^ 



114 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



driving him at all points, utterly ranted and discomfited , beyond the. 
limits of the State. By your noble heroism and determined courage, 
vou have most effectually defeated the plans of the enemy for regain- 
ing possession of the States of Kentucky and Tennessee. You have 
secured positions from which no rebellious power can drive or dis- 
lodge you. For all this the General commanding thanks you col- 
lectively and individually. The loyal people of the United States 
thank and bless you. Their hopes and prayers for your success 
against this unholy rebellion are with you daily. Their faith in you 
will not be in vain. Their hopes will not be blasted. Their prayers 
to Almighty God will be answered. You will yet go to other fields 
of strife; and with the invincible bravery and unflinching loyalty to 
justice and right which have characterized you in the past, you will 
prove that no enemy can withstand you, and that no defences, how- 
ever formidable, can check your onward march. 

By order of Maj.-Gen. U. S Grant. 

T. S. Bowers, A. A.-G. 



CHAPTER XI. 



PUBLIC HONrOK«5 — GRADE OF LIEUTENANT-GENERAL 
REVIVED. 

General Grant's successful Vicksburg campaign opened 
the Mississippi, severing the Confederacy; thereby cutting 
ofF the great supplies of cattle from Texas for the support 
of their armies. The Chattanooga-Knoxville extraordi- 
nary campaign had virtually closed tlie w^ar for the time in 

the Southwest, anil shut 
the rebels out from the 
rich granaries of Ten- 
nessee and Kentucky. 
With the single excep- 
tion of Virginia, their 
forces had been driven 
from their strongholds, 
and so scattered that 
they could present no 




m.^ effectual barrier to the 
r|\ onward movement of 
\ \^i| U the victorious Union 

■^^ ^^ ' ^' forces. The I'epeated 
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL u. §. GRANT, dcfcat'of the Confeder- 
ates operating against 
General Grant, had carried dismay to the people through- 
out the South, and they began to lose hope of the issue; 
the cause of the rebellion fell rapidly in the opinion of 

("5) 



Il6 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

political speculators, both at home and abroad ; while at 
the North the faith of the wavering was confirmed, and 
the patriots were reassured. 

General Grant was not quite forty-three years of age; 
his jjersonal appearance at this time is thus described by a 
correspondent: 

" The appearance of General Grant is far from what an idealist 
would picture of a great hero. He is a man of medium height, and 
but little above the minimum standard of officers of the army. The 
appearance ot his countenance during repose is far from commanding; 
but on tlie field there seems to be something in the determined glance 
of his eye, the contracted brow, and the firm-set teeth, that would 
imply that his wishes " must and shall be carried out.'' Otherwise 
there is but little in his countenance that could be called sti'iking. 
"His brow is straight and square, but cannot be characterized as lofty, 
although it is far from ignoble. His head is covered by a fair quan- 
tity of light brownish hair. His eyes are blue, sharp, and expressive, 
yet at times, calm and mild. His nose is aquiline, its bold lines delicately 
chiseled. His mouth and chin are well formed, but are concealed 
under a heavy reddish beard and moubtache, which is kept cut some- 
what shorter than it deserves. 

" His manner is mild, even in times of the greatest excitement, and 
the humblest drummer-boy can as easily reach tlie General with his 
complaints, as could his corps, or departmental commanders. 

" His style of dress has often been alluded to in the covn-se of this 
narrative. He assumes no gaudy plumes nor trappings, and takes 
but little consideration as to his personal appearance. This apparent 
carelessness is a conclusive evidence that his mind is employed with 
more important matters." 

Tlie first announcement of General Grant's victorious 
campaign in Georgia and Tennessee was made on the day 
of the first assembling of Congress for 1S63— 4. Mr. Wash- 
binnc. Member of the House fiom Galena, Illinois, immedi- 
ately gave notice of the introduction of two bills, one, "To 
revive the gfrade of Lieutenant-General of the Arm " and 



LIFE AND SERVICES. II7 

the other, " To provide that a medal be struck for General 
Grant and the officers of the army." When the latter 
resolution was brought up, it ^vas passed by both Houses 
of Congress without opposition, receiving the signature of 
the President, and became the first law of the session of 
1863-4. The following is a copy of the official document : 

General Orders No. 39S. 

JOINT RESOLUTION of thanks to Major- General Ulysses S. Grant and the officers 
and soldiers -who have fought under his command during this rebellion: and 
providing that the President of the United States shall cause a medul to be 
struck, to be presented to Major- General Grant in the name of the people of 
the United States of America. 

Be it resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America, in Congress assembled. That the thanks of 
Congress be, and they hereby are, presented to Major-General Ulys- 
ses S. Grant, and through him to the officers and soldiers who have 
fouglit under his command during tliis rebellion, for their gallantry 
and good conduct in the battles in which they have been engaged; 
and that the President of the United States be requested to cause a 
gold medal to be struck, with suitable emblems, devices, and inscrip- 
tions, to be presented to Major-General Grant. 

Sec. 2. And be it further resolved, That, when the said medal 
shall have been struck, the President shall cause a copy of this joint 
resolution to be engrossed on parchment, and shall transmit the same, 
together with the said medal, to Major-General Grant, to be presented 
to him in the name of the people of the United States of America. 

Sec. 3. A nd be it further resolved. That a suflEicient sum of money 
to carry this resolution into effect is hereby appropriated out of any 
money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated. 

Schuyler Colfax, 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

H. Hamlin, 
Vice-President of the United States, and President of the Senate. 

Approved, December 17, 1863: Abraham Lincoln. 

The medal, as selected by the committee having the 
matter in charge, was designed by Leutze, and is thus de- 
scribed by the N. T Evening Post: 



IlS GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 

"The obverse of the medal was to consist of a profile likeness of 
tlie hero, surrounded by a wreath of laurels; his name and the year 
of his victories inscribed upon it, and the whole surrounded by a 
galaxy of stars. The design for the reverse was original, appropriate, 
and beautiful. It was the figure of Fame seated in a graceful attitude 
on the American eagle, which, with outspread wings, seems preparing 
for flight. In her riglit hand she held the symbolical trump, and in 
her left, a scroll, on which were inscribed the names of the gallant 
chief's various battles, viz. : Corinth, Vicksburg, Mississippi River, and 
Cliattanooga. On her head was a helmet, ornamented in Indian fash- 
ion, with feathers radiating from it. In front of the eagle, its breast 
resting against it, was the emblematical shield of the United States. 
Just underneath this group, their stems crossing each other, were 
single sprigs of the pine and the palm, typical of the North and South. 
Above the figure of Fame, in a curved line, the motto, ' Proclaim 
Lib^-rty throughout the Land.' The edge was surrounded, like the 
obverse, with a circle of stars of a style peculiar to the Byzantine 
period, and rarely seen except in the illuminated MSS. of that age. 
These stars were more in number than the existing States — of course, 
including those of the South — thereby suggesting further additions in 
he future to the Union." 

The Legislatures of New York, Ohio and other States 
passed resohitions of thanks to General Grant and his 
army, while other honors were paid him by societies, elect- 
ing him honorary life member, etc. 

While these honors were being showered on General. 
Grant by his admiring countrymen, he was busily occupied 
in gathering up his strength to pursue the war with 
unabatetl vigor. About Christmas he visited Knoxville to 
inspect the condition of the troops there, and found the 
men in great need of clothing; many were without shoes, 
others had but a single blanket. The winter was the 
most inclement that had been known for thirty years. 
The roatls encumbered with snow and ice, were almost 
impassable. The resources of the country had become 
exhausted, owing to the gathering of such large armies. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 1X9 

To add to these innumerable cares, he found that the rebel 
cavalry were constantly attacking his outposts. The diffi- 
culties of the route to Knoxville rendered it almost impos- 
sible to remedy the sufferings of his men; but all that 
could be done was done. 

From Knoxville he visited Nashville, crossing the 
country by the Cumberland Gap on horseback, passing 
through Barbersville, London and Lexington. Wherever 
he went, crowds thronged to greet him. Various efforts 
were made to induce him to make speeches, but never with 
success. At Lexington, General Leslie Coombs, said to 
the crowd: " General Grant has told me in confidence that 
he never made a speech, knows nothing about speech- 
making, and has no disposition to learn." 

Elaborate plans had been matured by Grant for the 
prosecution of the war and the ci'ushing of the Rebellion 
in the Southwest, as soon as the weather would admit of 
active operations. A concerted movement of all our 
armies under one policy, and so far as possible, under one 
direction. 

The policy of General Grant, is shown in one t)f his 
communications to the War Department. He said : 

" I look upon the next line for me to secure to be that from 
Chattanooga to Mobile, Montgomery and Atlanta being the import- 
ant intermediate points. To do this, large supplies must be secured 
on the Tennessee River, so as to be independent of the railroad from 
here (Nashville) to the Tennessee, for a considerable length of time. 
Mobile would be a second base. The destruction which Sherman 
will do to the roads around Meridian will be of material importance to 
us in preventing the enemy from drawing supplies from Mississippi, 
and in clearing that section of all large bodies of rebel troops. . . . 
I do not look upon any points, except Mobile in the South, and the 
Tennessee River in the North, as presenting practicable starting- 
points from which to operate against Atlanta and Montgomery." 



I20 GENKRAI. U. S. GRANTS 

Space prevents a description of the several movements 
of troops in the Southwest. General Grant directed the 
complicated movements of three armies extending from 
the Alleghanies to the Mississippi. General Thomas was, 
at Chattanooga threatening Hardee, who had relieved 
Bragg soon after the battle of Chattanooga. Longstreet 
was being closely watched by Schofield, who had suc- 
ceeded Burnside at Knoxville, and Sherman was at Vicks- 
burg preparing for his magnificent raid into Mississippi — 
all received their instructions from Genei'al Grant. 

Moving from Vicksburg with McPherson's Seventeenth 
Army Corps, in light marching order. General Sherman 
drove the rebels out of the State, destroyed the great railway 
center of Meridian, with the tracks to Quitman, to Lau- 
derdale Springs and to Cuba Station; retui-ning to Vicks- 
burg on the 25th of February, having supported his army 
upon the rebel stores which he captured, and brought 
back with his triumphant column 400 prisoners, 5,000 
negroes, 1,000 white refugees, and 3,000 animals — all this 
being accomplished in about one month, during which 
time his army had marched nearly 400 miles, losing but 
170 in killed, wounded and missing. 

On January 24 General Grant was suddenly called to 
St. Louis, to the sick bedside of his eldest son. Arriving 
unheralded and unannounced, the first intimation the citi- 
zens of the city had that the hero of the Western army 
was among them was on seeing on the hotel register the 
name of « U. S. Grant, Chattanooga." The intelligence 
of his arrival spread rapidl}^, and crowds gathered around 
the hotel to see him. He was at once invited to a public 
dinner. His reply to this invitation was characteristic: 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 121 

St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 27, 1864. 
Colonel John O'Fallan, Hon. John How, 
And Citizens of St. Louis, — 
Gentlemen: — Your liighly complimentary invitation " to meet 
old acquaintances and make new ones," at a dinner to be given by 
citizens of St. Louis, is just received. 

I will state that I have only visited St. Louis on this occasion to 
see a sick child. Fiinding, however, that he has passed the crisis of 
his disease, and is pronounced out of danger by his physicians, I 
accept the invitation. My stay in this city will be short— probably 
not beyond the 1st proximo. On to-morrow I shall be engaged. Any 
other day of my stay here, and any place selected by the citizens of 
St. Louis, it will be agreeable for me to meet them. 
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 
Your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Major-Getieral U. S. A. 

The banquet was sumptuous and elegant in all respects, 
over 200 guests being present in ihe spacious hall at the 
Lindell Hotel. When the toast was given, "Our distin- 
guished guest, Major-General Grant," the band struck up 
" Hail to the Chief ! " General Grant rose and said, "Gen- 
tlemen, in response it will be impossible to do more than 
thank you," During the evening he was serenaded, and 
the hotel was surrounded by thousands anxious to catch a 
sight of him, and clamorous for a speech. Stepping out 
upon the balcony, he was received with cheer uj^on cheer. 
Removing his hat amid profound silence, he said : "Gentle- 
men, I thank you for this honor. I cannot inake a speech. 
It is something I have never done and never intend to do; 
and I beg you will excuse me." This did not pacify the 
crowd, and their demands for a speech were only the 
greater. 

Several gentlemen standing near urged him to address 
the people. One, more enthusiastic than the rest, said, 
"General, tell them you can fight for them, but you 



122 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

cannot talk to them; do tell them that." Calmly turning 
to the speaker, he said : " Some one else must say that if 
it is to be said." The immense multitude continuing their 
shouting, the General leaned over the balcony and said, 
slowly, deliberately, and firmly: "Gentlemen, making 
speeches is not my business. I never did it in my life and 
iVever will. I thank you, however, for your attendance 
here." He then bowed and retii^ed. 

The bill which had been introduced into Congress the 
first days of the session, "to revive the grade of Lieutenant 
General " was passed almost unanimously on the 36th of 
February, 1S64. On March 2d the President nominated 
General Grant as Lieutenant-Genei-al, and on the following 
day the Senate confirmed the nomination. But two men 
had ever held this position. In 1798, the country being 
apprehensive of a war with France, President Adams 
appointed George Washington " Lieutenant Genral of the 
armies of the United States." In 1855 General Winfield 
Scott had the office conferred on him by brevet. 

The same day of his confirmation as Lieutenant-Gen- 
eral he was ordered to Washington, and started on the 
following morning, March 4. Before leaving for the East, 
General Grant wrote the following letter to General Sher- 
man, who was then at Memphis. This letter, with Sher- 
man's answer, which follows, exhibits both these great 
commanders in a most attractive light: 

Dear Sherman, — The bill reviving the grade of Lieutenant- 
General has become a law, and mj name has been sent to the Senate 
for the place. I now receive orders to report to Washington imme- 
diately in person, which indicates a confirmation, or a likelihood of 
confirmation. I start in the morning to comply with the order. 

Whilst I have been eminently successful in this war, in at least 
gaining the confidence of the public, no one feels more than I how 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 133 

much of this success is due to the energy, skill, and the harmonious 
putting forth of that energy and skill, of those whom it has been my 
good fortune to have occupying subordinate positions under me. 

There are many officers to whom these remarks are applicable to 
a o-reater or less degree, proportionate to their ability as soldiers; but 
what I want is to express my thanks to you and McPherson, as the 
men to whom, above all others, I feel indebted for whatever I have 
had of success. 

How far your advice and assistance have been of help to me, you 
know. How far your execution of whatever has been given you to 
do entitles you to the reward I am receiving, you cannot know as 
well as I. 

I feel all the gratitude this letter would express, giving it the 
most flattering construction. The word yoti I use in the plural, 
intending it for McPherson also. I would write to him, and will 
some day; but, starting in the morning, I do not know that I shall 
find time just now. Your friend, 

U. S. Grant. 

The following is General Sherman's reply: 

Dear General, — I have your more than kind and characteris- 
tic letter of the 4th instant. I will send a copy to General McPherson 
at once. 

You do yourself injustice, and us too much honor, in assigning 
to us too large a share of the merits which have led to your high 
advancement. I know you approve the friendship I have ever prof- 
fered to you, and will permit nie to continue, as heretofore, to 
manifest it on all proper occasions. 

You are now Washington's legitimate successor, and occupy a 
position of almost dangerous elevation; but if you can continue, as 
heretofore, to be yourself,— simple, honest and unpretending,— you 
will enjoy through life the respect and love of friends, and the 
homage of millions of human beings, who will award you a large 
share in securing to them and their descendants a government of 
law and stability. 

I repeat, you do General McPherson and myself too much honor. 

At Belmont you manifested your traits; neither of us being near. 

At Donelson, also, you illustrated your whole character. I was not 

near, and General McPherson was in too subordinate a capacity to 

influence you. 



124 GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 

Until you had won Donelson, I confess I was almost cowed hy 
the terrible array of anarchical elements that presented themselves 
at every point; but that admitted a ray of light I have followed 
since. I believe you are as brave, patriotic, and just as the great 
prototype, Washington; as unselfish, kind-hearted, and honest as a 
man should be: but the chief characteristic is the simple faith in 
success you have always manifested, which I can liken to nothing 
else than the faith a Christian has in the Saviour. 

This faith gave you the victory at Shiloh and at Vicksburg. 
Also, when you have completed your best preparations, you go into 
battle without hesitation, as at Chattanooga — no doubts, no reserves; 
and I tell you, it was this made us act with confidence. I knew, 
wherever I was, that you thought of me, and if 1 got in a tight 
place, you would help me out, if alive. 

My only point of doubt was, in your knowledge of grand strategy 
and of books of science and history ; but, I confess, your common- 
sense seems to have supplied all these. 

Now, as to the future. Don't stay in Washington. Come West; 
take to yourself the whole Mississippi Valley. Let us make it dead 
sure, — and I tell you, the Atlantic slopes and Pacific shores will 
follow its destiny, as sure as the limbs of a tree live or die with the 
main trunk_^ We have done much, but still much remains. Time, 
and time's influences are with us. We could almost afford to sit 
still, and let these influences work. 

Here lies the seat of the coming empire ; and from the West, 
when our task is done, we will make short work of Charleston and 
Richmond, and the impoverished coast of the Atlantic. 

Your sincere friend, 

W. T. Sherman. 

On the afternoon of March 8 he reached Washing- 
ton, and quietly and unrecognized, repaired to Willard's 
Hotel. While seated at the dining table with his young 
son by his side, before he had half finished his dinner, a 
gentleman lately from New Orleans recognized him, and, 
rising, informed the guests that General Ulysses S. Grant 
was in the room. Simultaneously, and as by an instinctive 
impulse, all arose, and a storm of cheers i-ang through the 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



125 



hall, many pressed around him to take him by the hand, 
and it was some time before he could finish his dinner. In 
the evening he attended the President's levee, entering the 
reception room unannounced, but was soon recognized and 
greeted with great cordiality by Mr. Lincoln. The noted 
visitor then became the observed of all observers. 

On the afternoon of the following day he was presented 
by Mr. Lincoln with his commission, the ceremony taking 
place in the presence of the Cabinet, General Halleck, the 
retiring General-in Chief, the members of Grant's staff, 
that officer's son, the President's private secretary, and 
Representative Owen Lovejoy. When General Grant 
entered the room he was cordially received by Mr. Lincoln 
and presented to the Cabinet. The President then ad- 
dressed him as follows : 

General Grant: The nation's appreciation of what you have 
done , and its reliance upon you for what still remains to be accom- 
plished in the existing great struggle, are now presented with this 
commission, constituting you Lieutenant-General in the army of the 
United States. With this high honor devolves upon you, also, a cor- 
responding responsibility. As the country herein trusts you, so, 
under God, it will sustain you. I scarcely need to add, that with 
what I here speak for the nation, goes my own hearty personal con- 
currence. 

To which General Grant replied as follows: 

Mr. President : I accept the commission, with gratitude for 
the high honor conferred. With the aid of the noble armies that 
have fought on so many fields for our common country, it will be my 
earnest endeavor not to disappoint your expectations. I feel the full 
weight of the responsibilities now devolving on me, and I know that 
if they are met, it will be due to those armies, and, above all, to the 
favor of that Providence which leads both nations and men. 

A short time was spent in pleasant social conversation, 



126 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

and this simple and interesting interview ended. The 
next day, March lo, General Grant visited the Army of 
the Potomac, then lying north of the Rapidan, in company 
with General Meade, its commander. On his return to 
Washington he immediately made preparations for his 
departure for the West, leaving on the following day. 

On the 12th a special order of the President assigned 
the new Lieutenant-General to the command of the armies 
of the United States, the headquarters of the army being 
in Washington, and " with Lieutenant-General Grant in 
the field." 

The Lieutenant-General found opposed to him at the 
time he assumed command of the armies of the United 
States, General Lee in Virginia, who was the senior officer 
of the Confederacy, strongly posted along the south 
bank of the Rapidan, covering Richmond. Lee was the 
idol of the Confederacy, cool and brave, clear-headed and 
quick in the dispositions of a battlefield, an excellent gen- 
eral, and a worthy antagonist for Grant. 

General Johnston, whom Grant had several times met 
and defeated, was in command of the second great army 
at Dalton, Ga. This army covered Atlanta, a great rail- 
road center, and an immense military depot for the 
Confetlerate army. Next to Richmond, of the most vital 
importance to the rebels, General Forrest was operating 
with a large force of cavalry in Northeastern Mississippi; 
while portions of Western Virginia, the eastern angle of 
Tennessee, and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, were 
in the enemy's hands. West of the Mississippi, witli few 
exceptions, was also in rebel possession and held by a force 
of not less than eighty thousand men. This large force 
had become somewhat disintegrated by inaction and want 
of opposition by our armies. It will readily be seen that 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 127 

the objective points of the new campaign were Atlanta 
and Richmond. 

To oppose and destroy the army of Lee, and to cap- 
ture Richmond, was the duty assigned to the Army of the 
Potomac, under that able General, George G. Meade, who 
so brilliantly won the battle of Gettysburg. Lieutenant- 
General Grant was to accompany him. 

Upon Grant's promotion, Major-General William 
Tecumseh Sherman had been assigned to the command of 
the Military Division of the Mississippi, with headquarters 
at Chattanooga. He was to operate against Johnston and 
drive him back and take Atlanta. His campaign was to 
be an aggressive one, to follow Johnston wherever he went 
and prevent his joining or reinforcing the army of Lee. 

General Banks commanded the Department of the 
Gulf, and was to make an advance up the Red River as 
far as Shreveport. If his expedition was successful he 
was to turn over his command to General Steele. By 
withdrawing a portion of tlie garrisons at different points 
on the Mississippi he could collect an army of nearly thirty 
thousand men, and was to co-operate with Admiral Farra- 
gut in an attack on Mobile. 

General Butler was to make an advance up the south 
bank of the James with an army of thirty thousand men, 
threatening Richmond. General Sigel was in command 
of the forces in West Virginia and the Shenandoah. He 
was to advance southward in two columns, to co-operate 
with the Army of the Potomac. Pending these movements 
all other organizations were actively employed in garrison 
duty in a hostile territory, protecting land and water commu- 
nications, and in providing supplies for the army in the field. 

A new era was to be inaugurated hereafter; instead of 
independent action of our armies east and west, the enemy 



128 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

was to be engaged at all important points at once and con- 
tinuously, thereby preventing the shifting of troops from 
one point to another. They were to be beaten if possible, 
but if that could not be done, then they must be worn out 
by constant shocks and attrition — in the latter case force of 
numbers alone would in the end produce tlie coveted result. 
The sequel proved the wisdom of General Grant's plans and 
purposes as the director and supervisor of all the campaigns. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE BATTLES OF THE WILDERNESS. 

On the 23d of March General Grant, accompanied by 
Mrs. Grant and his eldest son, General Rawlins and three 
other members of his staff, arrived in Washington. The 
eyes of the whole nation were upon him. For the first 
time the army of the United States was so unified that it 
could be handled to the best advantage. General Grant 
was given unlimited scope. He had left his trusted Gen- 
erals Sherman, Thomas, McPherson, and others of lesser 
note, in the West, and was about to take command in per- 
son of the veteran Army of the Potomac. He at once 
placed the dashing and fearless Sheridan, hitherto in obscu- 
rity, in command of the cavalry service. 

The Army of the Potomac was at once reorganized ; 
the Corps were consolidated and reduced to three — the 
Second, Fifth and Sixth. The Second, commanded by 
Major-General Winfield Scott Hancock, with Generals 
Gibbon, Barlow, Birney and Barr in command of divisions, 
and Generals Webb, Owen, Ward, Hayes and Mott of 
brigades. The Fifth Corps, commanded by the brilliant 
and skillful Major-General G. K.Warren; his division 
commanders were Generals Wadsworth, Crawford, Rob- 
inson and Griffin, and brigades under Ayres, Cutter, Bax- 
ter, Barnes and Rice — all veterans. The Sixth Corps was 
under command of Major General John Sedgwick, one of 



130 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



the most popular officers of the army. He had more than 
once been offered command of the Army of the Potomac, 
but his modesty caused him to decline it. His corps had 
won a position second to none in the ai-my, and fully de- 
served the epithet which it received as the "Bloody Sixth." 
He was ably assisted by Generals Wright, Getty and 
Prince as division commanders, with Generals Torbert, 
Shaler, Wheaton, Neill, Eustis and Russell, and Colonels 
Upton, Burnliam and Grant, in command of brigades. 
Brigadier-General Henry J. Hunt was Chief of Artillery. 
General James C. Duane commanded a brigade of engi- 
neer troops and pontoon trains. The quartermaster's de- 
partment and immense pack of supply wagons was directed 
by Brigadier-General Rufus Ingalls. The whole, imder 
the command of Major General George G. Meade. 

The latter part of 
April the Ninth Corps, 
commanded by General 
A. E. Burnside, joined 
the Army of the Poto- 
mac at Culpepper. This 
corps was composed in 
part of colored troops, 
who were now for the 
first time sent to the 
front. Reinforcements 
had been pouring in 
during the month of 
April. Everything was 
now in readiness for the 
army to move, and the order was given to advance. 

On the afternoon of the 3d of May, 1S64, the tents 
of the army were struck, and at night the troops began 




GEORGE G. MEADE. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. I3t 

crossing the Rapidan at Germania and Ely's Fords. Be- 
fore the close of the following day, over one hundred thou- 
sand men had crossed the river and were marching toward 
the Wilderness. This is a wild, desolate tract of country, 
situated in Spottsylvania County, about five miles broad 
and ten miles long. It is an immense jungle, covered 
with a thick, almost impenetrable underbrush, cut up 
with ravines, preventing the movement of artillery and 
cavalry. 

General Lee, ever watchful, had purposely allowed the 
Union forces to advance without giving battle, having de- 
termined to attack Grant in the Wilderness, where he and 
his men were j^erfectly familiar, hoping to be able to de- 
sti'oy his army in the opening of the campaign. Hidden 
in the forests, Lee could mass his troops and hurl them on 
any point of the Union line which he chose to attack. 

About noon May 5, Warren, who held the advance of 
Grant's army, was furiously attacked by the enemy, fight- 
ing with the most determined bravery. The Union forces, 
largely outnumbered at this point, slowly fell back, con- 
testing every foot of ground. Receiving reinforcements, 
they rallied and drove the rebels back with great slaughter. 
Before niglit, the enemy having been repulsed at all points. 
General Grant ordered an immediate advance along the 
entire line, but darkness intervened before the final arrange- 
ments were completed. The losses during this bloody con- 
flict had been terrible, and the hospitals were crowded. Or- 
ders were sent out for a renewal of the battle at daylight. 
"Attack along the whole line at 5 in the morning." 
Lee had made similar preparations, and at a quarter before 
5 ip the morning of Friday, made a furious onset on 
Sedgwick, who held the extreme right. Undismayed by 
this attack, Grant's entire line advanced precisely at the 



132 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



time he had ordered, and steadily drove the enemy in corl- 
fusion nearly two miles. The contest was desperate, the 
rebels fightinj^: with reckless heroism, yet unable to resist 
the valor of our soldiers. 

The attack on Sedgwick had proven only a feint, the 
real attack being- made by Longstreet on Hancock, who 
held our left. All effoi'ts to dislodge him proved ineffect- 
ual. Again and again were these columns flung upon our 
lines with terrific power, occasionally pressing back our 
men some distance. In seeking to stem the tide, the be- 
loved General Wadsworth, of New York, was shot in the 

heart. Amid fearful car- 
nage our men again ral- 
lied, forcing the enemy 
back with heavy loss, 
taking up their former 
position. Night closed 
upon the bloody scene; 
neither party had gained 
a decided triumph; the 
Confederate leader had 
found a foe who had 
come out to fight, and 
one that would take no 
step backward. The 
Union commander was 
at his headquarters, calm and determined. To a member of 
his staff he had remarked : " I notice that these Southerners 
fight desperately at first; yet, ivhen we hang on for a day 
or tivo, Tve whip them awfully.'''' 

On Saturday morning there was some slight skirmi^- 
ing, but neither party seemed willing to attack. It had 
not been Grant's intention to fi":ht in the Wilderness. It 




ROBERT E. LEE. 



i 



LIFE AMP SKItVICKS. 



'3- 



was Lee who had chosen this as a battlefield, and in leaving 
it he confessed that he had been defeated in his attempt to 
prevent the advance of the army under General Grant. 

In the two days' terrible slaughter in the Wilderness, 
Grant had lost nearly iS,ooo men. Among the National 
killed were Generals VVadsworth and Hays; and Gene- 
rals Getty, Gregg, Owen, Bartlett and Webb, wounded. 
Lee had lost fully i3,ooomen — Genei"als Jenkins and Jones 
killed, and Generals Longstreet (severely), Stafford (mor- 
tally), Pickett, Pegram and Hunter, wounded. 

At noon it was i^eported to Grant that Lee was in full 
retreat toward Spottsylvania Court House, thirteen miles 

distant. Having sev- 
eral hours the start, 
and inside line of 
march, he was able to 
secure the high ground 
that surrounds the 
CourtHouse before the 
Union forces could ar- 
rive, though the pur- 
suit was immediate 
and by forced marches. 
Arriving on Sunday, 
the Confederates were 
found strongly entrenched. The greater part of the day, 
and that of the next, was spent in bringing up the Union 
forces and assigning them to their proper places, and loca- 
ting batteries^ While employed on Monday in giving di- 
rections to some of his artillerymen, the Union General 
Sedgwick was shot dead by a rebel sharpshooter. His 
loss was an irreparable one to the army, and caused sincere 
mourning throughout the entire army, for he was beloved 




Spottsylvnuia Court House. 



134 GENERAL U. S, GRANT S 

by his soldiers. Headlev, in iiis History, speaks of his 
death in these words: 

"Words of eulogium, which would seem like flattery if spoken of 
other men, are inadequate to express his virtues. A thorough soldier, 
a skillful general, and one of the very best of men^ he was at once 
respected and beloved by all who knew him. Simple in heart and 
manner; modest as a youth ; very generous to all around him ; never 
seeking his own aggrandizement to the detriment of others, but 
rather preferring theirs to his own ; he was the modern example of 
Chaucer's 'very parfit, gentil knight.' Forever green be the turf 
above his quiet grave at Cjrnwall Hollow, watered by the tears of 
friends'.iip, and cherished by the pious care of patriot pilgrims." 

In these movements for position, the Confederates had 
been unceasing in their attacks upon the advance lines, and 
disputed everv inch of ground. 

By the morning of the loth everything was in readi- 
ness for battle, and an attack on the enemy's line to carry 
his entrenchments was ordered, but failed. Assault upon 
assault followed. Late in the afternoon a successful and 
memorable charge was made by the Second Brigade of 
the Sixth Corps. Springing over the enemy's works, they 
captured upward of a thousand prisoners and several can- 
non, but were compelled to retire from their perilous jDOsi- 
tion, owing to non-support on their left 

In no previous battle of the war had there been such 
fearful carnage. Fully ten thousand men on each side had 
fallen, with no decisive results. Thus ended the first day's 
battle of Spottsylvania. At midnight Lee withdrew to his 
inner line of defense. 

On the I I th the battle was renewed, and was but a 
repetition of that of the preceding day. Assaults and coun- 
ter-assaults were made with unsurpassed heroism, and met 
by the most stubborn resistance. By a singular coincidence, 



fJiJ^TV*,,. 




i 



LIFE AND SERVICES. I37 

both Generals had determined to assault each other on the 
same plan and at the same time. The result was a desper- 
ate effort on either" side to break the line of the other. 

Grant's first communication with Washington since his 
advance, was made in the morning of the i ith. It was as 
follows: 

Headquarters in the Field, May 11, 1864 — 8 a. m. 

We have now ended the sixth day of very heavy fighting. The 
result, to this time, is mucli in our favor. 

Our losses have been heavy, as well as those of the enemy. I 
think the loss of the enemy must be greater. 

We have taken over five thousand prisoners by battle, while he 
has taken from us but few, except stragglers. 

I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all 
SUMMER. U. S. Grant, Lieutenant-General^ 

Commanding the Armies of the United States. 

Finding the enemy's left too strong to be turned, General 
Grant determined to attack his right center, Generals Han- 
cock, Barlow and Gibbon being selected to storm the ene- 
my's works. Advancing in the early morning at a double- 
quick, they rushed over the rebel works, engaging in 
a hand-to-hand conflict. The fight was short and sharp, 
and ended in the capture of twenty colors, thirty guns, and 
three thousand prisoners — among them Generals Johnson 
and Stewart. The position thus gained was hotly de- 
fended during the day. Five times the rebels made savage 
assaults upon it only to be repulsed as many times, with 
terrible slaughter. General Grant, at the close of the day, 
sent the following dispatch to Washington: 

Spottsylvania Court House, May 12, 1864. 
The eighth day of the battle closes, leaving between three and four 
thousand prisoners in our hands for the day's work, including two ♦ 
general officers and over thirty pieces of artillery. 



138 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



The enemy is obstinate, and seems to have found the last ditch 
We have lost no organization, not even a company, while we have 
destroyed and captured one division, one bfigade, and one regiment 
entire of the enemy. U. S. Grant, Lieutenant-General. 

Several days were now spent in endeavoring to find 
some weak spot in the rebel line. The army was em- 
ployed in constant movement from one portion of the line 
to another. At every point the Confederates had skillfully 
met movement by movement. Finding that all attempts 
to carry the position was hopeless, Grant resolved to turn 
it by a flank movement, and immediately commenced pre- 
parations to do so. The enemy discovering his plans attacked 
his right, and delayed the movement until the night of the 
2oth of Alay, when moving by the left, the army took up 
its march for Richmond. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

FROM SPOTTSYLVANIA TO PETERSBURG. 

Notwithstanding the desperate defense of the enemy, 
Grant was not disheartened or shaken in his purpose; with 
dogged perseverance he followed up one battle with 
another. Though he failed to fight it out on "that line all 
summer," the character of the man and the secret of his 
power was revealed in those woids, and we find him again 
and agahi turning the Confederates from their entrench- 
ments, and compelling them to secure another and still 
another line of defense. 

The magnitude of such an undertaking is hardly under- 
stood. It is stated, by Abbott, that Grant's "vast army of 
one hundred thousand men — infantry, artillery, cavalry and 
baggage train — would fill in a continuous line of march, any 
road to its utmost capacity for a distance of loo miles. In 
this march the immense army crowded the whole region 
over a breadth of ten to fifteen miles; all the public roads, 
cross roads and wood paths were traversed. One mintl 
presided over these operations, as day after day, night after 
night, through darkness, through forests, through morasses, 
over streams and rivers, storming entre^ichments, and fight- 
ing their way against a determined foe of a hundred thou- 
sand men, the Union troops pressed resistlessly on. 

" General Lee was continually watching his opportunity 
to strike General Grant by a flank attack on his long line 
of march. But the foresight of General Grant, and the 

(139) 



140 



GENEKAL U. S. GRANT's 



heroism of his officers and soldiers, averted every danger. 
The foe made several attacks during the day, but in all he 
was repulsed. Our troops were now within forty miles of 
Richmond. In the race for the rebel metropolis, there 
was no time to be lost." 

On the 2 1st Grant's advance reached the North Anna 
River; here he found the rebels gathered in force and 

strongly entrenched. 
Hancock, who was 
in the advance, im- 
mediately opened 
upon the foe with a 
furious cannonade, fol- 
lowing it up with a 
charge, driving the 
enemy from the en- 
trenchments. The fol- 
lowing day the whole 
army crossed at dif- 
ferent points with but 
wiNFiELD s. HANCOCK. little fighting. 

By the 25th the entire army was in a strong position, 
stretching out about four miles on the south side of the 
river, with its base of supplies at Port Royal, about thirty 
miles below Fredericksburg. A reconnoissance sent out 
showed that the Confederates were so strongly entrenched, 
that their works could not be carried without great loss of 
life. Under cover of a strong demonstration against the foe 
General Grant withdrew, recrossed the river and marched 
down its northeastern bank to the Pamunkey, which is 
formed by a union of the North and South Anna. 

Early Friday morning General Grant took possession 
of Hanover Ferry on the Pamunkey River, sixteen miles 




LIFE AND SERVICES. I4I 

from Richmond, making his base of supphes at the White 
House, but a few miles distant. His mihtary strategy in 
this march from the Rapidan has ever excited the wonder 
and admiration of mihtary critics; all the efforts of the able 
and experienced Lee, with an army nearly equal in num- 
ber under his command— and as many more at Richmond— 
to oppose this steady and unfaltering advance, were baffled. 

On Sunday, the 29th, the entire army with all its bag- 
gage train, had crossed the Pamunkey in safety. On 
Wednesday morning, June i, the advance cavalry force 
had reached Cold Harbor. General Sheridan was placed 
in command there with orders to hold the place at all haz- 
ards, and the promise of infantry re-inforcements before 
nightfall. Foiled in every attack by day, the rebels renewed 
it in the night, only to meet with disappointment; the 
struggle had been desperate, our soldiers losing two thous- 
and men. 

Posting his troops in line General Grant presented an 
unbroken front extending from Bethesda Church to Cold 
Harbor, a distance of eight miles. Assaults were con- 
tinually made at various parts of the line by the foe, none 
of which met with any success; the National forces 
retaining their position. 

General Grant was now on the ground made mem- 
orable during the " seven days" fight, under McClellan; 
he was in front of the formidable outer line of entrench- 
ments erected for the defense of Richmond, behind which 
were not only Lee's veteran soldiers, but the garrison of 
Richmond had been called from the inner works to re- 
inforce him. Without delay Grant determined to test the 
strength of these works. An assault was ordered to be made 
by the Sixth and Eighteenth Corps ; while General Burn- 
side attacked the left, the first line of works was carried 



142 



GENERAL U. S. GUANT's 



and held. The record of the day's fighting was like that 
previously described ; 
charges made with 
bravery and patriotism 
that feared not death; 
this was met by a 
courage as fearless as 
it was misplaced. In 
every instance the as- 
sault had failed. Thus 
nearly a week passed 
away; each day was 
like the preceding 
one, a day of frequent 
skirmishing, of con- 
stant practice of sharp 




GEORGE B. m'cLELLAN. 



shooters, and incessant cannonading. 

All this time the Union General was maturing plans 
for the most extraordinary movements of this or any other 
campaign, the transfer by flank of his entire army from the 
Chickahominy to the south side of the James. By ob- 
taining twenty four hours the start of the Confederates, 
he hoped to be able to seize a position to the south of Rich- 
mond, tapping tiic raih-oads concentrating at Petersburg, 
and in the event of defeating Lee, to prevent his retreat to 
the Carolinas, where he might.be able to continue the con- 
flict indefinitely. Abbott has graphically described this 
" change of base" as follows: 

" On Sunday morning, June the 12th, the army, veiled from ob- 
servation by its earthworks and by clouds of skirmishers, quietly com- 
menced its march from its entrenchments. For miles these entrench, 
ments were within reach of the enemy's guns, Unseen and unsus- 
pecte'd in the movements, this majestic host of a hundred and fifty 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



H3 



thousand men, — infantry, artillery, and cavalry, — with their almost 
interminable line of wagons, pressed on toward their goal. Ail day 
long of Sunday and of Monday, and until Tuesday afternoon, with 
scarcely any rest, even at night, these iron men tramped on in si- 
lence, till the extraordinary feat was accomplished. They crossed 
the Chickahominy and the James, accomplishing a march of fifty- 
five miles without the loss of a wagon or a gun. This extraordinary 
movement was effected in the presence of an enemy a hundred 
thousand strong, desperate in courage, ably officered, and whose ram- 
parts were in many places within fifty yards of the entrenchments 
from which General Grant marched his troops. Every possible 
path was crowded with the immense host. Through sw-amps and 
dust, and the blaze of noonday and the gloom of midnight, the 
army, guided by the energies and protected by the sagacity of one 
mind, pressed forward till the marvelous feat was accomplished." 



It will be remembered that Grant had ordered Butler 
to ascend the south bank of the James River to menace 
Richmond from the South, and thus prevent the with- 
drawal of the garrisons 
in and around Rich- 
mond — the Confederate 
forces were under com- 
mand of Beauregard, 
who had gone South to 
meet Butler with an 
overwhelming force. 
Butler, learning of this, 
and fully realizing that 
he could not success- 
fully meet such an army 
in the open field, se- 
cured a commanding benjamin f. butler. 
position and entrenched his army; the enemy rearing 
strong entrenchments in front of his lines, had held him 
where he was and prevented any advance on his part. 




[44 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



On Wednesday, the 15th, the advance of the Union 
army crossed the James River and joined Butler at Ber- 
muda Hundred; by the i6th the whole army was on the 
South side. Previous to the arrival of the Arm})^ of the 
Potomac, General Butler had made an ineffectual attempt 
to capture Petersburg, twenty-two miles south of Rich- 
mond—this city is the center of all the railways running 
South from Richmond, and once in the possession of the 
Union forces would compel the evacuation of the Confed- 
erate capital. By the dilatory movements of the Union 

officer intrusted with 
the order to occupy 
Petersburg, General 
Lee and his veterans 
had arrived in force, 
and was able to re- 
pulse the several 
subsequent assaults 
by the troops of 
Meade, Burnside, 
Warren, Hancock, 
and othercommand- 
ers. The assaults 
were made; unpar- 
alleled in heroism by 
the Northern soldiers — but General Grant became satisfied 
that the formidable entrenchments manned by the veterans 
of Lee could not be carried by assault, as they were cap- 
able of resisting five-fold their numbers. Petersburg could 
not be taken except by siege. 

May 9 General Sheridan had been sent with Gen- 
erals Merritt, Gregg and Custer, and a force of cavalry to 
cut Lee's communications. Cutting loose from the army he 




PHILIP H. SHERIDAN. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. I45 

swept around the right flank of the rebel army, striking the 
Virginia Central Railroad at Beaver Dam Station, destroy- 
ed ten miles of track, three trains of cars, a million and a 
half of rations, liberated 400 Union prisoners taken in the 
Wilderness and then on the way to Libby prison. On the 
1 I th he captured Ashland Station, on the Fredericksburg 
road, destroying the railroad property and a large amount of 
supplies. Being charged with the duty of menacing Rich- 
mond, he pushed on to Yellow Tavern, a few miles north 
of Richmond, where he was confronted by that able rebel 
cavalry leader. General Stuart. After a sharp engagement 
he drove the Confederates toward Ashland with the loss 
of their gallant commander. Dashing down the road to 
Richmond he made a spirited charge upon the outer works 
— which were bravely carried by Custer, who captured 
over 100 prisoners. Finding the second line too strong 
for his force, he crossed the Chickahominy at Meadow 
Bridge, where he destroyed the railroad bridge, pushing 
southward to Huxhall's Landing on the James — here he 
rested three days — rejoining the army on May 25. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG AND RICHMOND. 

Petersburg contained at this time a population of about 
fifteen thousand. It is situated on the south bank of the 
Appomattox River, twelve miles above its mouth, and 
twenty-five miles south of Richmond. It was the inten- 
tion of the Union commander to seize the railways leading 
south from the city, investing it on the south and west. 
The first railroad south of the James, which was easily 
seized, was the one running from Petersburg to Norfolk. 
The next one, some ten or twelve miles west of this, was 
the Petersburg and Weldon, and still further west was the 
Petersburg and Lynchburg road, running nearly west. 
Both of these i-oads were of vital importance to the Con- 
federacy, opening as they did all of the resources of the 
South. 

After General Grant had become convinced that it 
would be nn possible to carry the strong entrenchments of 
the city, manned by the veterans of Lee's army, it became 
necessary to close the avenues of supplies, in order that a 
siege might be successfully prosecuted; and he at once 
instructed the Sixth and Second Corps to advance toward 
the Weldon road. The movement was made on the 2ist, 
and advanced as far as the Jerusalem plank road, about 
midway between the Norfolk and the Weldon roads. 
Here they encountered the enemy in such force that they 




GENERAL GRANT IN THE FIELD. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. I49 

were compelled to retire. Lee, realizing the importance 
of this road to him, had placed its defense in the hands of 
that able and brilliant leader, A. P. Hill. On the 23d and 
23d the attempt was renewed, but with only slight advan- 
tage gained. While this attempt was being made in 
every part of the line each day had its battle. This was 
the daily story of two weeks of constant manoeuvering, 
the losses on each side being fully fifteen thousand men. 
Every extension of the Union line westward was met by a 
continuation of the defensive works of the enemy. 

General Foster, with a division of the Tenth Corps, on 
the night of the 20th occupied Deep Bottom, a place but 
ten miles from Richmond, and on the north side of the 
James. An entrenched camp was at once formed, and by 
thus holding it the Federal commander was able at any 
time to threaten Richmond. A pontoon bridge was at 
once laid connecting it with General Butler, at Bermuda 
Hundred. Lee had met this possible movement by con- 
structing a pontoon bridge over the James at Drury's Bluff, 
thus enabling him to protect the defenses of Richmond 
with comparative ease. 

The Union army now occupied a circuitous line around 
Petersburg, on its eastern and southern side, about thirty 
miles in extent. By extending his line, and by a constant 
movement of his troops, Grant hoped to find a weak point 
in the rebel line of defense. The energies of the entire 
army were devoted to the erection of strong defensive 
works, so that the position could be held with a compara- 
tively small force, thus allowing a column to be spared for 
offensive operations at the proper time. These works were 
completed during the last days of July. 

On the other hand, Lee, having the inner line of defenses, 



»5o 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



which were ahnost impregnable, could mass vast numbers 
at his leisure and throw them against any portion of the 
Union line for its destruction, thus requiring the greatest 
vigilance on the part of the Federals. During all this time 
shells from heavy siege guns on the Union side, dropped 
in all parts of the city every five and fifteen minutes during 
the day and night, exploding with thundering roar, scat- 
tering ruin and destruction around. On the 30th many 
buildings were fired by these shells. Hour after hour the 
doomed city burned, and yet no cessation from the Federal 
bombardment. 

While General Grant was tightening his hold on Peters- 
burg, he sent out a strong cavalry column under Generals 
Wilson and Kautz, eight thousand men in all, their object 
being to destroy the roads that could not at the time be 
reached by his army. Marching rapidly southward, the 
expedition struck the Weldon Road at Reams Station, 
where they destroyed the depot and tore up several miles 
of the road. Moving without delay, they struck the South- 
side road at a point fifteen miles from Petersburg; thence 
they went to Nottaway Station, destroying twenty-two 
miles of the track. Near this place the enemy's cavalry 
was encountered, under the command of General W. F. 
Lee. Wilson drove the enemy from his front. Kautz at 
this point was detached to destroy the railroad at Burke's 
Station, the junction of the Danville and Southside roads. 
This being successfully accomplished, he rejoined Wilson, 
and the united forces destroyed the Danville road to Ro- 
anoke Bridge, twenty-five miles in extent. 

Finding the enemy strongly posted and assembling at 
all points, Wilson started to return. At several points he 
was forced to desperately fight his way through over- 



LIFE AND SERVICES. I5I 

whelming numbers; reaching our Hnes, his men and horses 
were in a pitiable condition, in his efforts to escape he lost 
his entire artillery and trains. Notwithstanding these dis- 
asters, he had been successful in severing the connection 
with Richmond for several weeks. General Grant said 
that the " damage done the enemy in this expedition more 
than compensated for the losses we sustained." 

After the defeat of General Sigel, in the Shenandoah 
Valley, General David Hunter had been placed in com- 
mand. He was ordered to co-operate with the Army of 
the Potomac, and make a rapid advance southward, to cap- 
ture Staunton and Gordonville, thence to Charlottesville 
and Lynchburg, — destroy the canals and railroads as he 
passed, and work his way back to his original base, or join 
the Army of the Potomac. 

Passing I'apidly up the valley, the enemy were driven 
from all points until North River was reached, where a 
desperate battle of ten hours' duration was fought, and 
the enemy routed with the loss of fifteen hundred prison- 
ers, three hundred stand of arms, three cannon, and death 
of their commander, W. E. Jones, — the Union loss being 
but fifty men. 

On the 8th he occupied Staunton, where he was joined 
by Averill and Crook. The combined forces pushed for- 
ward to Lynchburg, passing through Lexington. On the 
16th Lynchburg was invested. The reinforcement of the 
city from Lee's army, and his ammunition giving out, 
compelled Hunter to retire in haste. His retreat was by 
the line of the railroad, through Liberty to the Kauawah 
River. By this line of retreat he threw the entire Shen- 
andoah Valley open to the advance of the Confederates, 
with no force to oppose them. Such an opportunity was 



152 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



not lost by the Confederate General Lee, who at once 
dispatched General E well, with a carefully-selected corps 
of 25,000 men, to make a raid into Maryland, and, if possi- 
ble, capture Washington. The small Union force left 
jehind by Hunter was not sufficiently strong to resist the 
solid battalions that swept like a flood down the valley. 
They quickly evacuated their positions, not even waiting 
Lo destroy the valuable stores and material in their hands. 

Finding little or no opposition, the rebels crossed the 
Potomac at several points, sending out from the main col- 
umn strong forces of fleet cavalry, whose sole object was 
to plunder and destroy. The panic all through Maryland 
and Penns}lvania was terrible. Hagerstown was seized, 
and $20,000 demanded from the inhabitants to save it 
from the flames. Frederick was captured by the guerilla 
Mosby, who pillaged stores, and extorted the sum of 
$200,000 as a ransom for sparing the city. These maraud- 
ing bands swept onward. Striking the Baltimore & Ohio 
Railroad, they destroyed it for several miles. 

The Union troops had been hurried forward from all 
points, and were gathered ten thousand strong under Gen- 
eral Wallace at Monocacy Junction, a few miles from 
Frederick. Against this small band General Ewell threw 
his column of 20,000 veterans. The battle that followed 
was desperate, and hotly contested. The Union troops 
were dii\ en from the field, foiling back upon the defenses 
of Washington and Baltimore, having suffered severe loss. 
Consternation and terror seized the inhabitaiits of these 
cities. Detachments of the enemy were pushed forward 
to the outer works surrounding Washington, while others 
cinitinued their work of destruction, plundering and levying 
contributions from the inhabitants. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. ICJ 

General Augur, who was in command at Washington, 
hastily summoned the marines, the home guards, invahd 
soldiers, and even the employes of the government depart- 
ment, to aid in the defense of the capital. Other forces 
of rebels swept aroimd to the north of Baltimore, even 
penetrating to the Philadelphia & Wilmington Railroad, 
tearing up the track and burning bridges. 

Finding that there was rapidly gathering aroimd them 
a large body of troops, and conscious that their stay must 
be short, and that they were ill prepared to fight a des- 
perate battle, the Confederates commenced their retreat. 
They had inflicted an immense amount of damage, and 
filled their wagon trains with supplies that would for a few 
additional days supply their army; but their main object 
had miscarried,^ — the withdrawal of a large force from 
Grant's army, and a possible raising of the siege of Peters- 
burg and Richmond. 

General Grant was not misled by this raid. He knew 
full well that the raid would be only very transient, that the 
North could easily collect a force sufiiciently strong to 
repel the invaders. Instead of abandoning his operations 
in front of Petersburg to rush to the defense of the North- 
ern cities, he quietly withdrew the Sixth Army Corps, 
sending them on transports — one division to Baltimore 
and two to Washington, to render these cities secure. The 
raiders retreated on the line of their advance, resting in the 
Shenandoah Valley. 

So long as this force remained in the valley, just so 
lojig would they be a menace to the inhabitants of the 
States of Pennsylvania and IMaryland. Fully realizing 
this, the Union commander sent the brave Sheridan to 
drive them from the Valley. After fighting several des- 



154 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

perate and heroic battles, he almost totally annihilated the 
Confederate general, capturing all of his baggage, wagon 
train and cannon at Cedar Creek and Fisher's Hill. With 
the exception of two or three more skirmishes between cav- 
alry, there was no more fighting in the Valley, and Sheri- 
dan and his troops were withdrawn, and rejoined the army 
before Petersburg. 

Step by step General Grant was advancing nearer to 
the foe. The Weldon Railroad so coveted by him was 
still in the rebels' hands. Late in July plans had been 
matured for another attempt to seize and hold it. Grant's 
plan was to send secretly a strong force under the gallant 
and intrepid Sheridan to make an attack on Richmond 
from the north; when, should Lee withdraw a large force 
from Petersburg for the defense of the capital. Grant 
could then strike heavily upon any weak point in the rebel 
line. On the other hand, should Lee fear to send a force 
for the reinforcement of tlie entrenchments above Rich- 
mond, Sheridan would be able to secure very important 
positions there. 

The Second Corps was detailed to accomplish this diffi- 
cult undertaking in connection with Sheridan's cavalry 
force. Crossing the James at Jones' Neck, they pushed 
rapidly forward to Deep Bottom, within twelve miles of 
Richmond, where a considerable encampment of rebels 
were found; they immediately attacked and disj^ersed them, 
capturing their cannon and their entrenchments. Lee be- 
coming alarmed immediately dispatched twenty thousand 
men and twenty pieces of artillery to repel the assailants. 
Grant's object having been gained, a furious cannonade was 
opened upon the rebel lines in front of Petersburg, in prep- 
aration for a greneral charsfe. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. I55 

For a month or more the Forty-eighth Pennsylvania 
Regiment, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Fleas- 
ants, had been diligently at work in digging a mine to 
blow up one of the most formidable forts of the rebels, 
situated in front of General Burnside's lines. The work 
was completed on the 23d of Jul}', and charged with four 
tons of gunpowder on the 25th. Beyond the rebel fort 
was a crest called Cemetery Hill, which, once in the pos- 
session of the Union forces, would command the city and 
adjacent rebel lines, and compel Lee to retreat. 

On the night of the 29th, General Meade issued 
instructions for the disposition of the forces and their duty. 
The eighth and succeeding paragraphs of this order refers 
to the explosion of this mine, and is as follows: 

♦'8. At half-past three (3:30) in the morning of the 30th, Major- 
Generai Burnside will spring his mine, and his assaulting columns 
will immediately move rapidly upon the breach, seize the crest in the 
rear, and eft'ect a lodgment there. He Avill be followed by Major- 
General Ord, who will support him on the right, directing his move- 
ment to the crest indicated, and by Major-General Warren, who will 
support him on the left. 

" Upon the explosion of the mine, the artillery of all kinds in 
battery will open upon those points of the enemy's works whose fire 
covers the ground over which our columns must move, care being 
taken to avoid impeding the progress of our troops. Special instruc- 
tions respecting the direction of fire will be issued through the chief 
of artillery. 

"9. Corps commanders will report to the commanding general 
when their preparations are complete, and will advise him of every 
step in the progress of the operation, and of everything important 
that occurs. 

" 10. Promptitude, rapidity of execution, and cordial co-operation, 
are essential to success ; and the coinmanding General is confident 
that this indication of his expectations will insure the hearty efforts 
of the commanders and troops." 



1^6 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

At the appointed hour the fuse was lighted, but no ex- 
plosion followed. Upon investigation it was found that 
the fuse had gone out at a point where it had been spliced. 
Lieutenant Douty and Sergeant Henry Reese volunteered 
to enter the mine. Relighting the fuse, the mine exploded 
at forty-two minutes past four— just one hour and twelve 
minutes after the time appointed. 

The explosion was a triumphant success — a crater two 
hundred feet long, sixty wide and thirty deep had been 
formed, opening the enemy's line for an assault, and had so 
paralyzed them that their artillery was silent. An unneces- 
sary delay of some minutes followed, w^hen the charging 
column rushed into the gap and there halted and at once 
commenced to entrench. This delay was fatal. The Con- 
federates, having recovered from their surprise, opened fire 
upon the crater from every gun that commanded it. The 
important point to be taken was the crest of .Cemetery 
Hill, four hundred yards beyond. At seven, two hours 
after his first advance, General Ledlie, who commanded 
the assaulting column, still halted in the crater, where he 
had been joined by Generals Wilcox and Potter. Making 
no attempt to move forward, he prevented the latter from 
doing so. The three divisions soon became so inter- 
mixed that general confusion prevailed. An attempt by 
Potter to take the crest was easily repulsed, as he was 
unsupported. The crater now became a slaughter pen. 
The day, which opened so auspiciously for the Union 
force, had been lost. To longer remain was certain death, 
to advance was impossible, while it was equally as certain 
death to attempt a retreat. In this « miserable affair," as 
Grant termed it, we lost, in killed, wounded and missing, 
four thousand men, the enemy losing but a thousand- 



LIFE AND SKRVICES. I57 

In the subsequent examiiKilion of this afTair by the 
Committee on the Conduct ot" tlie War, they assigned the 
following as reasons why the attack should have been suc- 
cessful : 

1. The evident surprise of tlie enemy at the time of the explosion 
of the mine, and for some time after. 

2. The comparatively small force in the enemy's works. 

3. The ineffective fire of the enemy's artillery and musketry, 
there being scarcely any for about thirty minutes after the explosion, 
and our artillery being just the reverse as to time and power. 

4. The fact that some of our troops were able to get two hundred 
yards beyond the crater, toward the crest, but could not remain there 
or proceed further for want of supports, or because they were not 
properly formed or led. 

The Committee gave the following as the causes of the 
failure: 

1. The injudicious formation of the troops in going forward, the 
movement being mainly by flank instead of extended front. General 
Meade's order indicated that columns of assault should be employed 
to take Cemetery Hill, and that proper passages should be prepared 
for those columns. It is the opinion of the court that there were no 
proper columns of assault. The troops should have been formed in 
the open ground in front of the point of attack, parallel to the line of 
the enemy's works. The evidence shows that one or more columns 
might have passed over at and to the left of the crater, without any 
previous preparation of the ground. 

2. The halting of the troops in the crater instead of going forward 
to the crest, when there was no fire of any consequence from the 
enemy. 

3. No proper employment of engineer officers and working par- 
ties, and of material and tools for their use, in the Ninth Corps. 

4. That some parts of the assaulting columns were not properly 
led. 

5. The want of a competent common head at the scene of the 
assault, to direct affairs as occuirences should demand. 

Had not failure ensued from the above causes, and the crest been 



158 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

gained, the success might have been jeopardied by the failure to have 
prepared in season proper and adequate debouches through the Ninth 
Corps' lines for troops, and especially for field artillery, as ordered by 
Major-General Meade. 

While the repulse was a great disappointment to the 
army, yet it did not occasion the least shade of desjDondencv 
in the army or throughout the North. During the follow- 
ing summer and autumn months the siege was pressed 
forward. Not a day of idleness was allowed in the trenches. 
The restless activity and indomitable perseverance of Grant 
kept them constantly employed in attempts to cut the ene- 
my's line of communication and diversions upon the north 
side of the James to threaten Richmond. 

On the 1 2th of August a strong expedition was sent out 
from Deep Bottom, and with reckless courage stormed the 
Confederate entrenchments and obtained a strong position 
within six miles of Richmond. This attack was intended 
as a feint, to cover a movement of the Union forces in an- 
other attempt to obtain possession of the Weldon Railroad. 

On the morning of the i8th General Gregg, with his 
cavalry division, succeeded in striking the railroad six miles 
south of Petersburg, and succeeded in tearing up the road, 
pushing his advance within three miles of the city, where 
he entrenched his forces. The cavalry were strongly 
reinforced by Warren and his corps, and though Lee made 
desperate and furious attacks day after day to regain the 
road, he was repulsed with great slaughter, and the 
Union forces refused to relinquish their hold. 

The loss of the read would prove a terrible calamity to 
Lee, not only cutting off bis most important line of supplies 
and recruits, but it foreboded the destruction of his entire 
army. Concentrating an immense force, gathered from all 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



i59 



points of his encampment, Lee massed them in heavy col. 
umns, concealed by the forest, and on the mornnig of the 
30th rushed upon the Union lines, leaping over breastworks, 
engaging in a hand to hand figlit with the desperation of a 
"lost cause." The carnage was fearful, the Federals fight- 
ing as desperately against overpowering numbers. Though 
their losses were nearly five thousand they held their posi- 
tion, which was now made perfectly secure, and they had 
permanently cut off from the Confederates their line of 
supplies. 

Subsequent operations were pushed to the left from 
time to time, not without constant and desperate struggle, 
yet alw^ays resulting in the gradual advancement of the 
Union lines, and on the 5th of February they had reached 
Hatcher's Rim, which was brought into our lines only after a 
se\'ere struggle. At this point the Boydton plank road 
crosses; after the capture of the Weldon Road this had be- 
come very valuable and necessary to the enemy in the 
transportation of supplies from the Weldon Road at a point 
several miles below the Union lines. The Confederate 
defences at Hatcher's Run also covered the Southside Rail- 
road two miles further west. Thus days and weeks of 
constant and uninterrupted warfare passed in the several 
departments of the army without any very decisive results, 
tliough in each movement Lee was losing and Grant was 
gaining. 

On the 4th of September the joyful tidings that Sher- 
man had captured Atlanta was announced to the army 
before Petersburg. A salute of a hundred shotted guns 
was discharged upon the doomed city, which was defiantly 
answered by fire from every Rebel gun. On the 25th of 
December Sherman had achieved his triumphant march to 



l6o GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

the sea, which is more particularly noticed in the following 
chapter. 

Grant and his army around the Rebel capital was now 
in winter quarters. His operations were principally of a 
defensive character. His lines were strengthened, his army 
recruited, men were furloughed, and the festivities of the 
camp revived. Sitting in his little wooden hut at City 
Point, the Union commander was perfecting plans and 
making preparations for the spring campaign, which was 
destined to be the death blow to the Confederacy. Already 
the gloom of despondency had settled upon the South, and 
the early overthrow of the "Slaveholders' Rebellion" was 
foreseen. The hero of Vicksburg and Chattanooga had 
now a firm hand upon the throat of the Rebellion, and not- 
withstanding its death throes and writhings, he would not 
relinquish his hold until the monster was strangled. 



CHAPTER XV. 



SHERMAN S MARCH TO THE SEA. 

General Grant's plan of operations at the time of his 
assuming command of the armies of the United States em- 
braced the co-operation, as has been previously stated, of all 
of the Union forces. The principal co-operating force, 
and the second army in point of numbers, was the force 
gathered at Chattanooga, under IMajor-General W. T. 
Sherman. This force numbered nearly one hundred thou- 
sand men, with two 
hundred and fifty-four 
guns. Opposed to him 
was a large army, ful- 
ly sixty thousand men, 
under General Joseph 
E.Johnston, encamped 
in and about Dalton, 
Georgia, 

General Sherman 
commenced his ad- 
vance movement on 
May 6th, and by the 
loth of July, after a 
most brilliant series of william tecumseh sherman. 
manoeuvers and fierce fighting at Buzzard's Roost, Snake 
Gap, Resaca, Cassville, Dallas, Kenesaw, Pine Hill, and 

(i6i) 




l62 GE]JERAL U. S. GRANt'S 

Lost Mountain, he had forced his antagonist to fall back 
beyond the Chattahoochie, and within eight miles of At- 
lanta. Here Johnston was relieved and General J. B. Hood 
assumed the command, inaugurating hi., taking command 
by a desperate attack on Sherman on the afternoon of the 
20th. The blow was gallantly received and returned with 
equal force, and the assailants were driven back within 
their entrenchments with heavy loss. 

On the 22d another attack, led by General Hardee, 
was made upon the Army of the Tennessee, with McPher- 
son at its head — a furious brittle ensued, in which McPher- 
son was killed; for a time the attack of the Confederates 
threatened the entire wing of the army. Sherman, fully 
comprehending the importance of checking the advance of 
the rebels, reinforced this wing and ordered Logan, who 
had assumed command of McPherson's Division, to charge 
the enemy at any cost, which was gallantly accomplished, 
the Confederates giving way and retiring to their entrench- 
ments. 

Sherman, the following day, commenced a flank move- 
ment to his right, capturing the Montgomery and Macon 
Railroad, compelling Hood, a few days after, to retire from 
Atlanta. The city being at once occupied by General 
Slocum, of the Twentieth Corps, Sherman now gave his 
army a short rest, and set himself to work refitting it, and 
preparing for his " march to the sea." 

While Sherman was thus occupied. General Hood had 
broken up his encampment at Florence and Tuscumbia, 
and abandoned the South which Sherman was now a1)out to 
invade, b}' marching northward, he hoped to be able to cut 
Sherman's lines of communication and compel him to re- 
turn to Chattanooga. Sherman, amazed at Hood's folly 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



163 



in leaving the South defenceless, wasted no time in follow- 
ing him or defending the positions in his rear, but assigned 
to Thomas the protection of Tennessee and to take Hood 
in hand. The Fourth Corps under Stanley, and the 
Twenty-third under Schofield, were detached from his 
army and given to Thomas. Before cutting loose from his 
base of supplies. General Sherman considered it a military 
necessity to dismantle and destroy the City of Atlanta — 
having first removed all citizens from the city, and sent 
them into the Confederate lines. 

On the 14th of November he began his sublime march 
southward — a march which has no parallel in history. 
With his magnificent army he swept across the entire State 
of Georgia, in a path sixty miles in width and over three 
hundred in length, destroying everything which could give 
aid or comfort to the enemy. In this " grand gallop 
through Georgia" he 
found no enemy to op- 
pose him. A force of 
sixty thousand men were 
gathered inider his ban- 
ners ; before his advance 
the hurriedly-gathered 
forces of Johnston rap- 
idly disappeared. The 
wail of agony of the 
Confederacy was fierce 
and bitter. Passing 
around Savannah, he 
stormed and captured 

^ W. J. HABOEB. 

Fort McAllister, while 

Beauregard and Hardee were glad to escajDC from the city. 




164 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

Twenty-four days had been occupied in the march, with the 
loss of but five hundred and sixty-seven men — in killed 
and wounded. Thirteen hundred and thirty-eight of the 
Confederate Army had been made prisoners, twenty thou- 
sand bales of cotton burned, beside twenty-five thousand 
captured at Savannah. Thirteen thousand head of beef 
cattle, nearly ten million pounds of corn, and ten million 
and a half pounds of fodder were taken from the country; 
five thousand horses and four thousand mules impressed 
for the cavalry and trains; three hundred and twenty 
miles of railroad were destroyed — every tie being burnt 
and rails twisted by the heat; also every depot, engine- 
house, repair tank, water tank, and turn-table. Only by 
this seemingly harsh method could the Confederate Army 
of Virginia be effectually severed from that in the West. 
The Union General felt that the hour for temporizing had 
passed, and that only by such direful blows could the Re- 
bellion be brought to an end. While this waste and 
destruction was going on the discipline of the army was 
well maintained. 

From the time Sherman left Atlanta until its arrival 
before Savannah, not a word of intelligence respecting his 
advance was received by our Government, except through 
rebel sources. On the 25th day of December, President 
Lincoln received the following telegram from General 
Sherman: 

" I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, 
witli a hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, and 
also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton " 

To this President Lincoln immediately replied: 
"Mv Dear General Sherman, — Many, many thanks for your 
Christinas gift, — the capture of Savannah. When you were about to 
leave Atlanta for the Atlantic, I was anxioui; if not fearful ; but fee)- 



'. . 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



165 



ing that you were the better judge, and remembering that ' nothing 
risked, notliing gained,' I did not interfere. Now, this undertal<ing 
being a success, the honor is all yours ; for I believe that none of us 
went further than to acquiesce. And taking the work of General 
Thomas into the count, as it should be taken, it is indeed a great 
success. 

" Not only does it afford the obvious and immediate military advan- 
tages, but in showing to the world that your army could be divided, 
putting the stronger part to an important new service, and yet leaving 
enough to vanquish the old opposing forces of the whole, — Hood's 
army, — it brings those who sat in darkness to see a great light. 

" But what next.-" I suppose it will be safe, if I leave General 
Grant and yourself to decide. Please make my grateful acknowl- 
edgements to your whole army, — officers and men. 

" Yours very truly, 

" A. Lincoln." 
During Sherman's march to the sea, Hood in his 
march North moved rapidly into Tennessee, crossing the 
Tennessee River at Florence. At this time Thomas' effec- 
tive force under Schofield was only about thirty thousand 

men. At different 
points holding impor- 
tant posts, he had also 
tw^enty or more thou- 
sand men, w^hile 
Hood, who had just 
been reinforced by 
General Taylor's 
army from Mobile, 
now had about fifty- 
five thousand. 

On November 17, 
General Hood ad- 
vanced in two col- 
Thomas had resolved to keep as 




J. B. HOOD. 

umns toward Nashville. 



l66 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

strong a force as possible in fi'ont of the rebel advance, fall- 
ing slowly back upon Nashville, — carefully avoiding a 
battle imtil he felt sufficiently strengthened to w^arrant a 
success in a conflict. Hood now advanced rapidly, and it 
became necessary for Thomas to fight a battle at Franklin, 
in order to get his trains across the Big Harpeth River, 
and into Nashville. The battle of Fraidclin was gallantly 
fought by Schofield, on the 30th of November, v\^ho had 
but eighteen thousand men to confront the entire force of 
Hood. The rebels charging with the greatest impetuosity 
in columns four deep, notwithstanding they v^ere met by 
a fearful fire of artillery and musketry, were able to hurl 
back the advance Union line in utter confusion upon the 
main line,— pressing on, the victors, after a most desperate 
struggle, forced their way within tiie second line, planting 
their flag upon the National entrenchments. All seemed 
lost, when General Opdyke's brigade, with General Con- 
rads in support, charged ujoon the victorious Confederates. 
Swiftly, steadily and irresistibly they bore back the rebel 
line, driving them with fearful slaughter, recapturing the 
works and guns, and restoring the Union line, — from 
which they were not again driven, although Hood again 
and again hurled his columns against it, only desisting at 
nearly midnight. Sorely disappointed and chagrined, he 
gave up the contest, having lost heavily, among which 
were thirteen general officers and over six thousand men. 
The Federals lost twenty-three hundred, Schofield having 
(iccomplished his purpose, and secured the trains, he fell 
back during the night. Of this battle General Grant says 
as follows : 

"This was the first serious opposition the enemy met with, and I 
am satisfied, was the fatal blow to all his expectations. During the 



LIFE AND SEU\ ICKS. 1 67 

night General Schoficld fell back toward Nashville; this left the field 
to the enemy, — -not lost hy battle, but voluntarily abandoned, so that 
General Thomas' whole force might be brought together." 

Hood pressed forward to Nashville^ and by December 
had drawn his Hnes around the city. Skirmishes were 
now of daily occurrence, principally by the cavalry force 
of the contending armies. By the 14th Thomas was 
ready to take the offensive, and gave orders accordingly. 
During the following two days he fought a continuous 
battle, breaking through the rebel lines, defeating and 
routing him, — capturing four thousand, four hundred and 
sixty-two prisoners, nearly all of his artillery, and drove 
him southward, a disorganized mass of stragglers rather 
than an army, its spirit broken beyond hope of recovery. 
Hood had entered Tennessee with a well-organized army 
of fifty-five thousand men, full of enthusiasm, confident of 
victory. He left it with half that number, intent only 
in saving themselves from becoming prisoners of war. 
Thomas pursued the rebel forces as rapidly as he could 
rebuild bridges destroyed by the retreating foe. On the 
30th of December he announced the campaign ended, 
and distributed his troops in winter cantonments. 

General Grant, who at one time was greatly concerned 
at the bold advance of Hood and the seemingly dilatory 
movements of Thomas, has presented his views and the 
great pleasure which he felt at the result, in these words: 

" Before the battle of Nashville, I grew very impatient over, as 
it appeared to me, the unnecessary delay. This impatience was 
increased upon learning that the enemy had sent a force of cavalry 
across the Cumberland into Kentucky. I feared Hood would cross 
his whole army, and give us great trouble there. After urging upon 
General Thomas the necessity of immediately assuming the offen- 
sive, I started West to superintend matters tliere '"n person. Reach- 



l68 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

ing Washington City, I received General Thomas' dispatch announc- 
ing his attack upon the enemy, and the result, as far as the battle had 
progressed. I was delighted. All my fears and apprehensions were 
dispelled. I am nol yet satisfied but that General Thomas, imme- 
diately upon the appetirance of Hood before Nashville, and before he 
had time to fortify, should have moved out with his whole force and 
given him battle, instead of waiting to remount his cavalry, which 
delayed him until the inclemency of the weather made it impractica- 
ble to attack earlier than he did. But his iinal defeat of Hood was so 
complete, that it will be accepted as a vindication of that distinguished 
officer's judgment." 

Thomas had been more than vindicated, and it had con- 
firmed him in the good opinion of his superiors and the 
army at large, as a cool, determined and far-seeing gen- 
eral. For this achievement he was appointed Major-Gen- 
eral in the regular army, to date from the 15th day of 
December, the date of his victory at Nashville. 

Thus closed the year 1864. At every point the armies 
of the Union had been victorious, " everywhere the rebel- 
lion was reeling and staggering beneath the blows which 
were dealt it." 






m 



CHAPTER XVI. 



THE FINAL VICTORY. 



The fourth year of the war was now entered upon. 
The final overthrow of the Rebelhon was near at hand. 
It was evident, not only to the North and foreign powers, 
but the South, also, that their affairs were hopeless, and 
that a prolongation of the conflict could only prolong the 
reign of misery and death. Throughout the entire North 
there was a desire for peace, and a willingness to concede 
almost any terms consistent with national honor and terri- 
torial integrity. 

President Lincoln, during the latter part of the winter 
of 1864-5, visited the army in front of Petersburg, and for 
the first time witnessed war in all of its horrors. His hu- 
mane nature was deeply stirred by the revolting spectacle. 
Headley, in his "Sherman and His Campaign," in speak- 
ing of this visit, says: 

" He walked over ground covered with bodies of the slain, more 
numerous than he could count or cared to count, He saw living men 
with broken heads and mangled forms, and heard the hopeless groans 
and piteous wails of the dying whom no human hand could save. He 
witnessed the bloody work of the surgeons, — those carpenters and 
joiners of human frames, — and saw amputated legs and arms piled 
up in heaps, to be carted away like the oflal of a slaughter-house; and 
he turned from the horrid sight, exclaiming, ' This is war, horrid 
war — the trade of barbarians.' Appealing to his principal officers, he 
inquired, ' Gentlemen, is there no way by which we can put a stop 
to this fighting ? ' " 

O69) 



170 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



The Rebel Government had madly resolved to over- 
throw free institutions, and they refused to listen to any 
terms w^hatever which would tend to a reconstruction of 
the Union divested of slavery and State rights doctrines. 
To the Nationals, nothing was left but to strike, with all 
their strength, the final blows. The stirring events which 
followed, and the magnificent combinations which were 
brought to a triumphant conclusion, if told in detail, would 




STATE HOUSE, MONTGOMERY. 



require another volume. Suffice it to say, that in March, 
1865, General Canby was advancing from New Orleans 
against Mobile, to co-operate with Admiral Farragut; after 
a hard-fought and desperately contested battle at Blakely, 
the city surrendered on the morning of April 13. 

General J. H. Wilson, with a cavalry expedition of fif- 
teen thousand men, was sent out from Thomas' command 



LIFE AND SERVICES. l^l 

in Middle Tennessee, to co-operate with General Canby, 
in the reduction of Mobile. Sweeping over the region 
watered by the Tombigbee and Black Warrior Rivers, 
they captured Selma after a hard light with Forest's Cav- 
alry and Taylor's Infantiy, capturing many prisoners and 
guns, and destroying all public property, stores and cotton; 
moving rapidly to Montgomery, he entered it unopposed 
on the morning of April 12. The Rebel Commander 
Adams, not waiting for his arrival, had set fire to ninety-five 
thousand bales of cotton before he fled. The " original " 
capital of the Confederacy was now in the hands of the 
Federals, and the "Stars and Stripes" were unfurled in tri- 
umph over the State House where, four years previous, the 
first Confederate flag was given to the breeze, upon its 
adoption as the ensign of the Confederacy by the *' Provis- 
ional Government," at Montgomery, March 4, 1861 . Stop- 
ping two days only at Montgomery, his columns swept 
eastward across the State into Georgia, capturing Colum- 
bus, and West Point, reaching Macon on the 20th. Here 
he was informed of the surrender of Lee to Grant, and at 
once suspended hostile operations in accordance with an 
arrangement between Sherman and Johnston, which is 
mentioned later on. During the raid Wilson captured five 
fortified cities, two hundred and eighty-eight pieces of artil- 
lery, six thousand eight hundred and twenty prisoners, and 
destroyed a vast amount of property. He lost seven hun- ^ 
dred and twenty-five men, ninety-nine of whom were 
killed. 

General Stoneman was sent from East Tennessee with 
a cavalry force into North Carolina, to destroy railroads 
and military resources, and release the starving Union sol- 



iy2 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

diers at Salisbury, North Carolina, all of which was gal- 
lantly accomplished. 

General Hancock had been sent to Winchester to guard 
against a Rebel raid north, through the Shenandoah Val- 
ley, or to make an advance south, as might be expedient. 
General Sheridan had attacked and badly used up General 
Early, at Waynesborough, capturing one thousand, six 
hundred prisoners, eleven guns, seventeen stand of colors, 
and two hundred loaded wagons. 

General Terry captured Fort Fisher at the entrance of 
Cape Fear River, January 15, 1865, opening the port of 
Wilmington to the Union forces, and compelling its aban- 
donment by the Rebels. Fort Fisher had previously gal- 
lantly resisted a combined naval and army attack under 
General Butler and Admiral Porter. Tliis capture did not 
attract much attention in the North at the time, owing 
partly to the foct that there were other more moment- 
ous operations of the army that engrossed public attention. 
Alexander H. Stephens, in speaking of its importance to 
the South, in his history, says: " The closing of the port 
of Wilmington (the result of that capture) was the com- 
plete shutting out of the Confederate States from all inter- 
course by sea with foreign countries. Tlie respiratory 
functions of external trade, so essential to the vitality of all 
communities, had been performed for the whole Confed- 
eracy, mainly, for three years, through the small aperture 
of the little port, choked to wheezing, as it was, by a cor- 
don of armed ships drawn around its neck." 

General Sherman commenced his northward march 
from vSavannah with an army of sixty thousand men, mov- j 
ing in four parallel columns, several miles apart, the troops 
mainly subsisting on the country through which they.. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. I73 

passed. All public property that could aid the Rebellion 
was destroyed. All railroads, depots, mills, foundries, fac- 
tories, arsenals, and machine-shops, were laid in ruins. The 
triumphant Union foices pressed forward — sweeping away 
all opposition — Charleston was evacuated ; Columbia, the 
capital of South Carolina, captured and burned. On April 
13th, Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, was 
occupied. 

At Goldsboro', North Cai-olina, General Johnston had 
collected in great strength, hoping to overwhelm General 
Sherman. General Schofield, with a large force, was sent 
by way of Newberne to advance to the aid of and join 
Sherman; this was accomplished, though not without a 
stubborn resistance from the Confederates — the forces of 
Sherman and Schofield meeting at Goldsboro on March 
23d and 24th. Feeling that his army was secure, General 
Sherman made a brief visit to City Point, where he met 
General Grant, President Lincoln, and other officers. He 
returned to Goldsboro on the 30th. Mr. Coffin, who was 
an eye-witness, has thus descrioed this interesting confer- 
ence : 

" I was sitting in the office of General Grant's adjutant-general, on 
the morning of the 2Sth of March, and saw President Lincoln, with 
Generals Grant, Sherman, Meade, and Sheridan, coming up the walk. 
Look at the men whose names are to have a conspicuous place in the 
annals of America: Lincoln, — tall, round-shouldered, loose-jointed, 
large featured, deep-eyed, with a smile upon his face; he is dressed in 
black, and wears a fashionable silk hat. Grant is at Lincoln's right, 
shorter, stouter, more compact; wears a military hat, with a stiff 
broad brim; has his hands in his pantaloons pocket, and is puffing 
away at a cigar, while listening to Sherman. Sherman, — tall, with 
high, commanding forehead ; is almost as loosely built as Lincoln; 
has sandy whiskers, closely cropped, and sharp, twinkling eyes, long 
arms and legs, shabby coat, slouch hat, his pants tucked into his 



174 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

boots. lie is talking hurriedly, gesticulating now to Lincoln, now to 
Grant, liis eyes wandering everywhere. Meade, — also tall, with thin, 
sharp features, a gray beard, and spectacles ; is a little stooping in his 
gait. Slieridan, — the shortest of all, quick and energetic in all his 
movements, with a face bronzed by sun and wind ; courteous, 
aftable, a thorough soldier. The plan of the lieutenant-general was 
then made known to his subordinates, and all departed, during the 
day, to carry into execution the respective parts assigned them." 

Lee was at this time in a perilous position; there was 
now no hope for the preservation of his army from starva- 
tion or capture — all line of supplies had b^en destroyed by 
the ever-moving and resistless columns of Grant. But one 
ray of light penetrated the gloom that surrounded him. If 
he could break through the Union lines and form a junction 
v/ith Johnston in North Carolina, he might be able to re- 
vive, or at least prolong the life of the Confederacy. He 
was well aware that the attempt was a perilous one — but it 
seemed to him the least of two evils, and he chose it. 

Grant, ever watchful, at once detected this intended 
movement of Lee, and on the 24th of March issued orders 
for a general movement on the 29th. On tlie 25th Gen- 
eral Lee made a bold attack on Fort Steadman, a strong 
point situated in front of the Ninth Corps, distant not more 
than one hundred yards from the Rebel entrenchments. 

Two divisions of the enemy made a bold rush upon 
the fort; the surprise was complete, and in a few moments, 
in the hands of the Rebels, twenty thousand men stood 
ready to support this attack — but from some unexplained 
reason, this supporting column did not advance immedi- 
ately. The Union forces soon rallied; every available 
piece of artillery was opened upon the fort, and the result 
was the capture of two thousand, seven hundred prisoners. 
Lee had withdrawn the attacking force from the left of his 



T5 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 1^5 

line. Grant ordered an immediate advance of the Second 
and Sixth Corps on Lee's weakened front; the attack was 
gallantly made, and the strongly entrenched picket was 
carried and permanently held, notwithstanding the des- 
perate efforts of the enemy to retake it. The dash of 
Lee upon Fort Steadman did not change General Grant's 
plans for an advance on the 39th. 

On Friday, the last day of March, the Fifth and Sec- 
ond Corps crossed Hatcher's Run ; both faced north and 
advanced on the enemy's right. Sheridan, with a large 
force, had passed around Lee's right and was at Dinwiddie 
Court House — several miles to the left of the infantry, 
where he bivouacked on the night of the 29th. General 
Grant sent him the following dispatch: 

" I now feel like ending the matter, if it is possible to do so, be- 
fore going back. I do not want you, therefore, to cut loose, and go 
after the enemy's roads at present. In the morning push around the 
enemy if you can, and get on to his right rear. The movements of 
the enemy's cavalry may, of course, modify your action. We will 
act all together as one army here until it is seen what can be done 
with the enemy. The signal-officer at Cobb's Hill reported at half 
past eleven, a. m., that a cavalry column had passed that point from 
Richmond toward Petersburg, taking forty minutes to pass. 

U. S. Gratit, Lieutenant-General. 

Major-General p. H. Sheridan. 

The 30th the rain fell in such torrents as to make an 
advance movement impossible. On the 31st Sheridan was 
at Five Forks, on the Southside Railroad. This was the 
key to the whole Rebel line. Here the enemy appeared 
in strong force. Dismounting his cavalry, Sheridan repulsed 
their advance with great slaughter. During the night he 
was reinforced by the Second Corps, and at daylight the 
battle was renewed. The troops moved into battle mag- 



176 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



nificently ; the enemy were pressed steadily back to their 
works, when the infantry charging in flank and rear 
rushed over the entrenchments with a force that was irre- 
sistible. The Rebels fled toward the west, but were 
charged and pursued with unsparing vigor until long after 
the shades of night had settled upon the scene. In the 
severe battle of Five Forks the Rebels had lost six thou- 
sand prisoners, and all their artillery. 

On the following day, Grant ordered an advance along 
the entire Union line. With fearful power he hurled his 
army against the Rebel entrenchments — the battle raging 




CAPITOL AT RICHMOND, 
with great determination on the one side, and stubborn re- 
sistance on the other. On the 3d, Lee's line was broken at 
all points, and the following morning Richmond and Pe- 
tersburg were hastily evacuated, and the Union forces took 
possession. The warehouses of the Confederate capital 
were fired by the retreating army, and the better part of 
the city was destroyed. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 1 77 

The strife lasted but a few days long^er. General T^ee 
retreated as fast as possible up tbe north bank of the Ap- 
pomattox, and Grant followed on the south siile. Lee was 
pressing forward to reach Burkesville, confident that by so 
doing he could make a successful retreat and a jDrolonged 
campaign. Grant hotly pursued him, and by the 4th had 
gained a commanding position half way between Burkes- 
ville and Amelia Court House — thus effectually preventing 
a retreat in that direction. The Confederate Army was 
now at Grant's mercy — it could not escape. 

General Lee now turned to escape by way of Lynch- 
burg, and reach the mountains beyond. At Sailor's Creek 
a severe battle was fought between Ewell and Sheridan, 
supported by the Sixth Corps, resulting in the overwhehn- 
iii'4' defeat and capture of the former, with six thousand 
men. 

On the 7tli, General Grant, anxious to save further 
effusion of blood, addressed the following dispatch to Lee : 

" April 7, 1865. 

"General: — The result of the last week must convince you of 
the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the Army of 
Northern Virginia in this struggle. I feel that it is so, and I 
regard it as my duty to shift from myself the responsibility of any 
further effusion of blood by asking of you the surrender of that 
portion of the Confederate-States army known as the ' Army of 
Northern Virginia.' 

"U. S. Grant, Lieutenant-General. 

"Gen. R. E. Lee." 

The next morning, before leaving his headquarters, he 
received the following reply: 

"April 7, 1S65. 
"General: — I have received your note of this date. Though 
not entertaining the opinion you express on the hopelessness of 
further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia, I 



1^8 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

reciprocate your desire to avoid useless eftusion of blood, and there- 
fore, before considering your proposition, ask tlie terms you will offer 
on condition of its surrender. 

" R. E. Lee, General. 
"Lieut.-Gen. U. S. Grant." 

General Grant at once forwarded the following reply : 

"April 8, 1S65. 
" General: — Your note of last evening, in reply to mine of same 
date, asking the condition on which I will accept the surrender of the 
Army of Northern Virginia, is just received. In reply, I would say 
that, feace being my great desire, there is but one condition I would 
insist upon; namely, that the men and officers surrendered shall be 
disqualified for taking up arms again against the government of the 
United States until properly exchanged. I will meet you, or will 
designate officers to meet any officers you may name for the same 
purpose, at any point agreeable to you, for the purpose of arranging 
definitely the terms upon which the surrender of the army of 
Northern Virginia will be received. 

" U. S. Grant, Lieutenant-General. 
" Gkn. R. E. Lee." 

Sheridan had secured a strong position at Appomattox 
Station, where he captured four heavily-laden trains for 
Lee's army. He pushed on toward Appomattox Court- 
house, striking Lee's advance, capturing twenty-five guns, 
a hospital train, wagons, and many prisoners. He was 
now directly across the line of Lee's retreat, and was 
strongly supported by infantry. The Union lines were 
prepared, and the order w^as about to be given, to charge 
the Confederates, when a horseman was seen advancing 
from the enemy's lines bearing a white flag, asking for a 
truce until a surrender could be completed. 

At two o'clock in the afternoon of Palm Sunday, April 
9, 1865, the two generals met each other in the parlor of 
Wilmer McLean's residence, at Appomattox Court House. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



179 



The two officers shook hamls courteously, and engaged 
in conversation. It was agreed that the Union commander 
should put his proposition in the form of a letter, to which 






MCLEAN'S HOUSE, WHERE LEE SURRENDERED. 

General Lee would return a formal answer. Grant imme- 
diately drew up the following memorandum: 

"Appomattox Court House, Va., April 9, 1S65. 
"General: — In accordance with tlie substance of my letter to you 
of the 8th inst., I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of 
Northern Virginia on the following terms, to-wit: Rolls of all the 
officers and men to be made in duplicate; one copy to be given to an 
officer to be designated by me, the other to be retained by such other 
officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their 
individual paroles not to take up arms against the Government of the 
United States until properly exchanged ; and each company cr regi- 
mental commander to sign a like parole for the men of their com- 
mands. The arms, artillery, and public property, to be packed, and 



l8o GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

stacked, and turned over to the officers appointed by nie to receive 

them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their 

private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be 

allowed to return to his home, not to be disturbed bv United States 

authority so long as they observe their paroles and the laws in force 

where they reside. 

" U. S. Grant, Lieutenant-General^'' 

To this memorandum General Lee responded as fol- 
lows : 

" Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia, ) 

April 9, 1S65. [ 

"General: — I received your letter of this date, containing the 
terms of the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, as proposed 
by you. As they are substantially the same as those expressed in 
your letter of the 8th inst., they are accepted. I will proceed to 
designate the proper officers to carry the stipulations into effect. 

"R. E. Lee, GeneraV 

No pen can describe the exultation of the men of both 
armies. For miles the hills and forests rang with the loud 
acclamations. Grant at once issued twenty thousand rations 
to the starving Confederates, and as fast as paroled they 
were furnished food and transportation to their homes by 
the government they had sought to destroy. 

Johnston was in a hopeless condition in North Carolina. 
With Sherman and Schofield in his front and the victorious 
army of Grant in his rear, he could be instantly crushed 
beneath the Union forces. On April 14 he asked for a 
cessation of hostilities, preparatory to surrender. General 
Sherman accepted terms tliat were rejected by the Gov- 
erinnent, and Grant proceeded to Raleigh with full power 
to act in the premises. Arriving on the 24th, he acquainted 
Sherman with the views of the Government. Sherman at 
once communicated with Johnston, and the second day after 
Grant's arrival Johnston surrendered to Sherman on the 
same terms which were accorded to General Lee by Gen- 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



I»I 




eral Grant. On the 28th General Grant returned to his 

headquarters at Washington. 

General Kirby vSmith, who commanded 
the Rebel forces west of the Mississippi, 
surrendered his entire force to Major-Gen- 
eral Canby on May 26. Thus the last 
Rebel band surrendered or dispersed to 
their homes, and the war was terminated. 
The number of Confederate prisoners sur- 
rendered was 174,323; the number of pris- 
oners in the hands of the Federal army was coi.foierate Fiao-. 
98,802. The whole Union force under command of Gen- 
eral Grant was 1,000,516. 

The Rebel President Davis at the time of the fall of 
Richmond, fled, with other members of the government, 
to Danville; thence, accompanied by a small cavalry force, 
he endeavered to escape to some Southern seaport, and 
take ship for foreign lands. He was caught at Irwinsville 
in Georgia, on the morning of May 10. 

On the 23d and 23d of May, the Union armies were 
reviewed at Washington by the President of the United 
States and his Cabinet and the Lieutenant-General. The 
splendid pageant was witnessed by the members of the 
diplomatic corps, and by numbers of citizens from all parts 
of the Union, who had assembled to unite in this ovation 
to the volunteer soldiers of the Republic. 

On the 2d of June General Grant took leave of all 
of the armies which had been so long guided by his 
genius. This address will be found in the Appendices to 
this volume. 

The Civil War had ended. The Commanding 
General advised the reduction of the great armies, — a 



l83 GENERAL U. S. GHANt's 

work which was at once begun, and more fully noted in 
the succeeding chapter. 

We cannot better close this record of General Grant 
than by quoting from the author of " Grant and his Cam- 
paigns," who says: 

" Of General Grant's talents and character it is unnecessary to 
add a single word. Sagacious, brave, skillful, his strongest elemei.t 
subsidizing all the rest, is that tenacity of purpose, that iron will 
which was the characteristic of Wellington, and which won the 
Waterloo of the Great Rebellion. 

"Closely connected with this is his moral courage. He dares to 
do right, without respect of persons or opinions. His reports are 
full of clear criticisms of his generals. Courteous and kind, he 
never regards private feelings where great public interests are at 
stake. 

"Joined to these qualities is a modesty which displays itself in an 
unostentatious demeanor, ajid in great reticence at all times. 

" He is an admirable judge of men. In this he is like the great 
Emperor. Grant's generals have been judiciousl}' chosen, each for 
his specific work, — Sherman for Atlanta, Thomas lor Nashville, 
Sheridan for the Shenandoah and Five Forks, Meade for the Army 
of the Potomac. And when they did well, no spice of envy ever 
kept him from rejoicing in their success, and awarding them the 
highest praise." 



CHAPTER XVII. 



THE WORKS OF PEACE. 



The most tragic event of the war occurred a few days 
subsequent to the surrender of Lee, and on the night of 
the very day that Johnston asked Sherman for an armis- 
tice. This event caused the profoundest grief throughout 
the whole country and the nations of the world, — the 
cowardlv assassination of President Lincoln. On the night 
of April 14 he was shot by J. Wilkes Booth, while 
attending a theatrical entertainment at Ford's Theatre, 
Washington, — dying before morning. Secretary of State 
Seward narrowly escaped being killed by a co-conspirator. 
The shock was terrible, and the loss incomparable. 

General Grant was at the time in Washington, and it 
had been announced that he would attend the theatre in 
company with the President; but he was unavoidably 
detained, and was absent at the time. In the trial of the 
conspirators it was shown in evidence that it was the 
intention to have murdered General Grant at the same 
time and place. 

Gilbert, in his " History of the World," says of the 
Idss of President Lincoln: "A great statesman, one who 
would have harmonized the nation, and restored the reign 
of law at the South satisfactorily to both sections — gave 
place to a politician singularly unsuited to the great task 
in hand. The passions of the war had not had time to 

(183) 



184 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

cool when that assassination occurred; but it was evident 
that the South sincerely deprecated the great crime." 
Ridpath, in his " History," says: "So ended in darkness, 
but not in shame, the career of Abraham Lincoln. He 
was one of the most remarkable men of any age or country 
— a man in whom the qualities of genius and comm.on 
sense were strangely mingled. He was prudent, far- 
sighted and resolute; thoughtful, calm and just; patient, 
tender-hearted and great. The manner of his death con- 
secrated his memory. From city to city, in one vast fun- 
eral procession, the mourning people followed his remains 
to their last resting-place at Springfield. From all nations 
rose the voice of sympathy and shame — sympathy for his 
death, shame for the dark crime that caused it." 

General Grant now addressed himself with great 
energy to the works of peace. By the 2 2d of August 
he had succeeded in mustering out of the army 719,338, 
and by November 15 there had been returned to their 
homes 800,963 men. This was rapidly followed every 
month, until 1,023,021 had been discharged. 

Nothing in all the history of the Republic was more 
creditable than the good behavior of the soldiers after dis- 
bandment. More than a million men were released from 
the discipline of military duty and remanded to the walks 
of civil life. Though long accustomed to the camp 
and field, they resumed the duties of peace in a quiet, 
orderly manner, absorbed into the general mass of the 
population, without any of the horrors usually attending 
in such cases in other lands. 

The records of the War Department show that by 
November 15, 1S65, there had been sold horses and 
mules to the value of $15,269,000, barracks and hospitals 



Life and services. 185 

$447,873; damaged clothing 3'icldccl $903,770. Military 
railroads, 2,630 miles, 6,695 cars, 433 locomotives trans- 
ferred to proper authorities, and railroad equipments were 
sold, amounting to $10,910,813. 

The whole number of men enlisted at different times 
during the war was 2,688,532. Of these, 56,000 were 
killed in battle; 210,400 died of wounds and disease in the 
military hospitals, and 80,000 died after discharge, from 
disease contracted during service; making a total loss of 
about 300,000 men. About 200,000 were crippled or per- 
manently disal)led. Of colored troops, iSo,ooo enlisted 
and 30,000 died. More than $300,000,000 w^as paid in 
bounties, and by States, towns and cities, for the support of 
the families of the soldiers. 

The records of the medical department of the army 
give the number treated as 5,825,000, including field and 
hospital both. Of these the fatal cases were 166,623. 
The wounded were 273,175, of which 33,777 died. 

A further investigation of the Records of the War 
Department show that, during the struggle, 220,000 Con- 
federate soldiers were captured, of whom 26,436 died of 
wounds or disease during their captivity ; while of 136,940 
Union soldiers captured, 22,756 died while prisoners. 
This shows that but 1 1 per cent, of the Confederate pris- 
oners died in the hands of the government, while 17.6 per 
cent. Union jDrisoners died in the hands of the Confederates. 
Extensive and complete arrangements for the care of 
the sick and wounded, had been made by the Government. 
At the close of the war, there were no less than 204 gene- 
ral hos])itals, fully ec|ul]:)pecl, having a capacity of 136,894 
beds; besides these, there were numerous temporary and 
flying hospitals, in camps, or on vessels. 



iS6 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



\ 



The low rate of mortality in the Union army was due to 
several causes, prominent among which was the employment 
of competent surgeons, a bountiful provision in all hospitals 
to every necessity; and, perhaps, the most creditable fea- 
ture of the entire period of conflict, was the beneficent pro- 
vision made during the 
war by the United 
States Sanitary Com- 
mission, and the Chris- 
tian Commission, and 
the untiring labors of 
women everj'where. 
The Sanitary Commis- 
sion disbursed $14,600,- 
000 in money and sup- 
plies; and the Christian 
Commission is believed 
to have expended not 
less than $6,000,000 in 

the same way, the only henry w. bellows, d 
difference being that 
the latter Commission looked after the religious and liter- 
ary wants of the soldiers as well as to their physical 
requirements. 

„ General Grant, during the suminer ami fall of 1S65, 
made tours of pleasure and inspection through the North, 
continuing them to the West and South. He was every- 
where received with the greatest enthusiasm. Harvard Col- 
lege made him a Doctor of Laws. To enumerate the 
gifts and honors showered upon him would require a vol- 
ume in itself. The adulation of his countrymen did not 
change him from the quiet, unpretending, steady man w^ho 




D., FOUNDER 
U. S. SANITARY COMMISSION. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



1S7 




had ever exhibited the same cahn and unexcited exterior. 

In July, Congress 
created the grade of 
" General of the Army 
of the United States," 
and General Grant was 
nominated and immedi- 
ately confirmed for the 
position on the 25th of 
July, 1 866. 

The South was im- 
dergoing the convulsions 
incident to the close of a 
great civil wai", an entire 
re-organization of soci- 
ety, and a change in the 
relations of master and slave. The disbanded officers and 
soldiers of the rebel armies had returned to the South, and 
sought to resume their former influence on political 
questions, a condition of affairs as stated by General 
Sheridan to be "anomalous, singular and unsatisfactory." 
To add to these complications and embarrassments, about 
this time a serious disagreement arose between President 
Johnson and Congress, touching the great question of re- 
organizing the Southern States, the former holding that 
the ordinances of secession were, in their very nature, null 
and void, and therefore, the seceded States had never been 
out of the Union; while the majority in Congress held 
that the acts of secession were illegal and unconstitutional, 
but, that these States had been, by these acts, actually de- 
tached from the Union, and that special legislation, and 



VINCENT COLYER, CHAIRMAN U. 
CHRISTIAN COMMISSION. 



l88 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

special guarantees were necessary in order to restore them 
to their former relations under the government. 

President Johnson began, early in the summer, meas- 
ures of reconstruction in accordance with his own views, 
while the National Congress pursued its own policy in 
regard to the reconstruction of the South. The attitude 
of the executive and legislative department became con- 
stantly more unfriendly. Mr. Stanton, then Secretary of 
War, did not coincide with the President in his views upon 
the question of reconstruction in the Southern States, and 
became peculiarly obnoxious to Johnson. President John- 
son determined to remove Stanton from the office of Secre- 
tary of War, and appoint General Grant as Secretary ad 
interun. 

General Grant remonstrated with the President against 
the proceeding, but Johnson was not to be influenced, and 
the next day sent Grant a letter directing him to act as Sec- 
retary of War ad interim. It is not our purpose to write a 
history of the differences between President Johnson and 
Congress on the question of reconstruction in the rebel- 
lious States, except so far as the action of General Grant is 
concerned. 

General Grant addressed a letter to Mr. Stanton as 
soon as he received the notification that he was to super- 
sede that gentleman, which expressed in strong terms his 
high sense of the valuable services rendered by him to the 
country, and to the army. 

On the 17th of August President Johnson requested 
General Grant to remove from command at New Orleans 
General Sheridan, who had by a faithful carrying out of 
the laws in the States of Louisiana and Texas, made him- 
self offensive to the rebel element. He at the same time 



Life and services. 189 

requested Grant to make any suggestions in regard to the 
order. Grant unhesitatingly rephed : 

" I am pleased to avail myself of this invitation to urge, earnestly 
urge, urge in the name of a patriotic people who have sacrificed 
hundreds of thousands of loyal lives and thousands of millions of 
treasure to preserve the integrity and union of this country, that this 
order be not insisted on. It is unmistakably the expressed wish of 
the country that General Sheridan should not be removed from his 
present command. 

" This is a republic^ where the ■will of the people is the hnv of the Imid. 
I beg that their voice may be heard. 

" General Sheridan has performed his civil duties faithfully and 
intelligently. His removal will only be regarded as an effort to de- 
feat the laws of Congress." 

For a time the order was suspended, but General Sher- 
idan was afterward removed. On the 13th of January the 
Senate passed the following resolution: 

" Resolved, That having considered the evidence and reasons 
given by the President in his report of the i2tli of December, 1867, 
for the suspension, from the office of Secretary of War, of Edwin M. 
Stanton, the Senate do not concur in such suspension." 

As soon as General Grant was informed of this action 
he refused to continue longer to act as Secretary of War 
ad interim^ and sinrendered the keys of the office to the 
Adjutant General, the custodian of the building, and re- 
turned to his office at the headquarters of the army. In a 
letter to the President defending his conduct, he uses the 
following forcible language: 

" The course you have understood I agreed to pursue was in vio- 
lation of law, and that without orders from you; while the Course I 
did pursue, and which I never doubted you fully understood, was in 
accordance with law, and not in disobedience of any orders of my 
superior. And now, Mr. President, when my honor as a soldier, and 
integrity as a man, have been so violently assailed, pardon me for 



ICJO GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

saying that I can but regard this whole matter, from beginning to 
end, as an attempt to involve me in the resistance of law for which 
you hesitated to assume the responsibility, in order thus to destroy 
my character before the country. I am in a measure confirmed in 
this conclusion by your recent orders directing me to disobey orders 
from the Secretary of War, my superior, and your subordinate, with- 
out having countermanded his authority. I conclude with the 
assurance, Mr. President, that nothing less than a vindication of my 
personal honor and character could have induced this correspond- 
ence on my part. 

" I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 

" Your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, GejieralP 

President Johnson in his message to Congress, Decem- 
ber 12, 1867, giving his reasons for suspending Mr. Stan- 
ton, closes with these words: "Salutary reforms have 
been introduced by the Secretary ad interim (General 
Grant) and great reductions of expenses have been effected 
under his administration of the War Department to the 
saving of millions to the Treasury. Andrew Johnson." 
From this time forward General Grant confined himself 
exclusively to his military duties as head of the armies of 
the United States. The time for holding another Presi- 
dential election was at hand. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



GRANT THE STATESMAN. 



On May 21, 186S, at the meeting of the National 
Republican Convention, held at the Opera House, Chi- 
cago, General Ulysses S. Grant received on the first ballot 
and without a dissenting voice, the nomination for the 
Presidency of the United States. General Logan, Chair- 
man of the Illinois Delegation, since a candidate for the 
Vice-Presidency, took the floor and said : " In the name of 
the loyal citizens and soldiers and sailors of this great 
Republic of the United States of America; in the name 
of loyalty, liberty, humanity and justice; in the name of 
the National Union Republican party, — I nominate as 
• candidate for the chief magistracy of this nation Ulysses 
S. Grant." 

Round after round of applause greeted his name. The 
Secretary then began to call the roll of States and Terri- 
tories, to receive the vote of their delegation. As the call 
proceeded, State after State in turn gave its unanimous 
vote for General Grant, — the enthusiasm rising higher and 
higher until it seemed as though the roof must be lifted 
up by the surging volume of sound, as Wisconsin, the last 
State on the roll was reached, and cast her vote for Grant. 
The President then said : " The roll is completed. Gen- 
tlemen of the Convention, you have six hundred and fifty 
votes, and you have given six hundred and fifty votes for 

(191) 



192 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

Grant." The scene now was grand ard overpowering. 
The Convention and the vast audience rose to their feet, 
and greeted the result with tumultuous cheering and every 
demonstration of applause, without interruption, for several 
minutes. 

The same evening a lai"ge concourse of the citizens of 
Washington serenaded General Grant at his house. He 
was introduced in a few eloquent remarks by Senator 
Boutwell, and made the following I'esponse : 

Gentlemen: — Being entirely unaccustomed to public speaking, 
and without the desire to cultivate tliat power [laughter], it is impos- 
sible for me to find appropriate language to thank you for this demon- 
stration. All that I can say is, 1i[iat, to whatever position I may be 
called by your will, I shall endeavor to discharge its duties with 
fidelity and honesty of purpose. Of my rectitude in the performance 
of public duties, you will have to judge for yourselves by my record 
before you. 

On the 29th of May the officers of the Convention 
visited Washington, and formally made known to General 
Grant his nomination as President. General Grant replied 
briefly, but with evident emotion, to the eloquent address. 
of General Hawley, and closed by saving, " If elected 
President, / shall have no folicy of my own to enforce 
against the tvill of the feofleP He subsequently accepted 
the nomination in a formal letter to General Hawley, 
which is given in the Appendix. 

The Democratic Convention nominated Horatio Sey- 
mour of New York, as their candidate. The canvass was 
attended with great excitement. All the States took part 
in the election except Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi and 
Texji.s, which had not been reconstructed at that time. 

General Grant received 214 electoral votes, while his 
competitor received only So. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. I93 

Of the popular vote General Grant received 3,015,071 
against 2,703,600 given to Seymour. At the same elec- 
tion the choice for the Vice-Presidency fell on Schuyler 
Colfax, of Indiana. The election also settled forever the 
validity of the amendments to the Constitution adopted 
subsequent to the war, including iniiversal suffrage. 

Ulysses S. Grant, on the 4th of March, 1S69, was 
inaugurated the eighteenth President of the United States, 
and on the following day sent to the Senate his nomina- 
tions for cabinet officers. For Secretary of State, Elihu 
B. Washburn, of Illinois; for Secretary of the Treasury, 
Alexander T. Stewart, of New York; for Secretary of 
the Interior, Jacob D. Cox, of Ohio; for Secretary of the 
Navy, Adolph E. Borie, of Pennsylvania; for Secretary 
of War, Jolin M. Schofield, of Illinois; for Postmaster- 
General, John A. J. Cresswell, of Maryland; for Attor- 
ney-General, E. R. Hoar, of IMassachusetts. These nom- 
inations were at once confirmed; but it was soon discovered 
that Mr. Stewart was ineligible, being engaged in com- 
merce, and George S. Boutwell, of Massachusetts, was 
appointed in his stead. 

The last hope of the Southern Confederacy must have 
been dispelled by the election to the Presidency of General 
Grant, — the chief representative of the force which main- 
tained the Union. He was at the head of the government 
from March 4, 1S69, to March 4, 1877. Those eight 
years witnessed great prosperity, followed by most dis- 
tressing depression in business. 

The first event of note during General Grant's admin- 
istration was the completion of the Pacific Raih'oad, May, 
1869. The work of construction was in progress six 
years. The Central Pacific extends from San Francisco 



194 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



to Ogden, in Utah, a distance of SS2 miles, where it meets 
the Union Pacific, which extends to Omaha, Nebraska, 
a distance of 1,032 miles. This remarkaijle enterprise 
opened up a "short Hne" between the markets of China, 
Japan and Australia with those of the United States and 
Europe. 

During the autumn of this year occurred the most 
extraordinary financial excitement ever known in the 
United States, or possibly in the world. A popular histo- 
rian says of it: 

" A company of unscrupulous speculators in New York City, 
headed by Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, Jr., succeeded in producing 
what is known as a ' corner ' in the gold market, and brought the 
business interests of the metropolis to the verge of ruin. During 
the Civil War the credit of the government had declined to such an 
extent that at one time a dollar in gold was worth two hundred and 
eighty-six cents in paper currency. But after the restoration of the 
national authority the value of paper money appreciated, and in the 
fall of 1S69 the ratio of gold to the greenback dollar had fallen to 
about one hundred and thirty to one hundred. There were at this 
time, in the banks of New York, fifteen million dollars in gold coin 
and in the sub-treasury of the United States a hundred millions 
more. The plan of Gould and Fisk was to get control by purchase 
of the greater part of the fifteen millions, to prevent the Secretary of 
the Treasury from selling any part of the hundred m.illions under his 
authority, then, — having control of the n-iarket — to advance tlie price 
of gold to a fabulous figure, sell out all which they held themselves, 
and retire from the field of slaughtered fortunes with their accumu- 
lated millions of spoils! Having carefully arranged all the prelimi- 
naries, the conspirators, on the 13th of September, began their work 
of purchasing gold, at the same time constantly advar.cing the price. 
By the 22d of the month, they had succeeded in putting up the- rate 
to a hundred and forty. On the next day the price rose to a hundred 
and fortv-four. The members of the conspiracy now boldly avowed 
their determination to advance the rate to two hundred, and it seemed 
that on the morrow they would put their threat into execution. On 



MFE AND SERVICES. I95 

the morning of the 24th, known as Black Friday, tlie bidding in tlie 
goUi room began with intense excitement. The brokers of Fisk and 
Gouki advanced the price to a hundred and fifty, a hundred and fifty- 
five, and finally to a liundred and sixty, at which figure they were 
obliged to purchase several millions by a company of merchants who 
had banded themselves together with the determination to fight the 
gold-gamblers to the last. Just at this moment came a dispatch that 
Secretary Boutwell had ordered a sale of four milli9ns from the sub- 
treasury! There was an instantaneous panic. The price of gold 
went down twenty per cent, in less than as many minute*! The 
speculators were blown away in an uproar; but they managed, by 
accumulated frauds and covruptions, fo cany o^ zvith them more than 
eleven milUon dollars as the fruits of their nefai'ious game! Several 
months elapsed before the business of the country recovered from 
the effects of the shock." 

In March, 1S70, the work of reconstruction was com- 
pleted by the readmission to Congress of all the Southern 
States. The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution 
having been ratified by the States, w^as declared to be 
adopted. It provided that " the right of the citizens of 
the United States to vote shall not be denied, or abridged 
by the United States, or any State, on account of race, 
color, or previous condition of servitude." 

In this year was completed the ninth census of the 
United States. It was a work of great importance, and 
the result presented was most encouraging, inasmuch as 
many economists had prophesied that, owing to the dis- 
turbance of general trade and destruction of property 
during the Civil War, the result would show a decrease in 
general increase. Notwithstanding the ravages of war 
the last decade had been a period of remarkable growth 
and progress. The population had increased over seven 
millions. Agriculture and manufactures had grown to an 
enormous aggregate, and were successfully competing 
with the markets of the world. 



196 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

In January, 1871, President Grant appointed a com« 
mission to visit Santo Domingo, and report upon the advis- 
ability of annexing that ishind to the United States. The 
subject had received considerable attention, and had been 
agitated for several years, and w^as earnestly advocated by 
the President. This Commission, composed of Senator 
Wade, of Ohio, Dr. Howe, of Massachusetts, and Prof. 
White, of New York, after a brief visit to Santo Domingo, 
returned and reported in favor of the annexation. But so 
much opposition was manifested in Congress, led by 
Charles Sumner, of Massachusetts, that it was defeated. 

On the 27th of February, 187 1, a joint high commis- 
sion assembled at Washington to settle the claim of the 
United States against Great Britain, growing out of the 
depredations of the Alabama and other Confederate pri- 
vateers fitted out in England during the Civil War. This 
Commission framed a treaty known as the Treaty of 
Washington, by which it was agreed to refer all claims of 
either nation to a board of arbitration to be appointed by 
friendly nations. Such a court was formed, and met at 
Geneva, Switzerland, on the 15th of December, 1871. 
This tribunal was composed of five arbitrators: The Pres- 
ident of the United States, Her Britannic Majesty, the 
King of Italy, the President of the Swiss Confederation, 
and the Emperor of Brazil. The cause of the two nations 
was ably presented by their respective advocates, and 
impartially heard, and on the 14th of September, 1873, 
decided in favor of the United States. The result was 
that Great Britain was to pay into the Federal treasury, 
as an indemnity for the wrong done, the sum of $15,000,000 
in gold. This award was paid by Great Britain tlic I'ol- 
lov/nig year. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. I97 

Another important decision by arbitration in favor of 
the United States was made by the Emperor William I., 
of Germany, on the 21st of October, 1S72, he having 
been selected by Great Britain and the United States as 
arbitrator for the settlement of the Northwestern boundary 
dispute. After hearing the cause of each, he decided the 
boundary in question should be a line drawn through the 
middle of the Canal de Haro, between Vancouver Island 
and the Island of San Juan, instead of the middle of 
Rosario Straits, as demanded by Great Britain. By this 
decision the United States gained the Island of San Juan. 

In the year 1871 occurred the most memorable confla- 
gration of modern times — the Chicago Fire. It commenced 
on the 4th of October and continued until the 6th. It 
spread over nearly five square miles, and resulted in an 
immense destruction of property. The entire business 
portion of the city was destroyed^ and a great portion of 
the residence part. The number of lives lost could never 
be ascertained, and was variously estimated at from t^o to 
200. Not less than 100,000 people were rendered home- 
less, and many who were in affluence were rendered pen- 
niless. The loss of property was not less than $200,000,000. 
The immediate wants of the people were nobly met by a 
charity as wide as the civilized world and absolutely prodi- 
gal in its generosity. In 1 874, another fire of vast, if greatly 
less proportions, visited Chicago. 

In 1873 Boston, too, had its "burnt district." The fire 
laid waste the buiklings covering sixty acres, in the busi- 
ness part of the city, and destroyed property valued at 
$80,000,000. It may be added that both cities long since 
rebuilt fully and upon a grand scale. 

In the spring of 1S73 the Modoc Indians, who had been 



1^8 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

removed from their lands in Oregon and placed on a new 
reservation in California, left it and began depredations on 
the frontier settlements, and kept up the war through the 
winter, and then retreated to some nearly inaccessible fast- 
nesses called the Lava Beds. Here they were surrounded, 
but not subdued. On the nth of April several of the 
Peace Commission met the Modocs, and General Canby 
and Dr. Thomas were treacherously murdered. Mr. 
Meacham, another member, was shot and stabbed, but 
escaped with his life. The Modocs wei-e at last compelled 
to surrender, and their leader, Captain Jack, with three 
others, were hanged in the following October. 

In the year 1872 occurred another presidential election. 
The first ticket in the field was headed by Horace Greeley, 
who for thirty years had been a leading journalist and 
ardent opponent of the Democratic party. He was nomi- 
nated by the Liberal Convention. The Democratic Na- 
tional Convention accepted him as the candidate of the 
Democracy, in the hope that he would draw enough 
Republican votes to elect him, and he did ; but the Demo- 
crats failed to fulfill their part of the contract. Many of 
them staid away from the polls altogether. Some of them 
united in supporting for the presidency that eminent Dem- 
ocratic lawyer of New York, Charles O'Conor. General 
Grant was re-elected by an overwhelming majority, and 
with him Henry Wilson for Vice-President. Mr. Greeley 
made a very remarkable campaign upon the policy of 
reconciliation and good feeling between the sections. After 
the popular election and before the meeting of the Electoral 
Colleges of the several States, he died, and the nation was 
once more in mourning. No American was better known 
or more profoundly respected as a pure patriot than the 



LIFE AND SERVICES, I99 

founder of the New York Tribune^ well called our second 
Franklin. 

In the followhig October occurred the panic of 1873, 
which inaugurated a period of hard times, which continued 
until after resumption in 1879, nearly six years. Notwith- 
standing good crops, hard times continued year after year. 
The general depression of business gave rise to a political 
party which demanded a large increase in the volume of 
currency, and deprecated any attempt to resume specie 
payments. This Greenback party was especially hostile to 
the national bank system. 

Intense excitement throughout the country was occa- 
sioned'by the discovery of gold within the limits of the 
reservation occupied by the Sioux Indians among the 
Black Hills lying in the Territories of Wyoming and Da- 
kota. A bill was passed by Congress taking away that 
portion of their reservation lying within the Territory of 
Dakota. The Sioux at once organized for war, and United 
States troops were dispatched against them, led by the 
intrepid and fearless General George A. Custer, who, push- 
ing forward, regardless of danger, was met by an over- 
whelming force of Sioux under Sitting Bull, and though 
he inflicted terrible punishment upon them, he, with two 
hundred and sixty-one men, nearly his entire force, were 
killed June 25, 1876. Sitting Bull and his band at once 
retired into the British Possessions, where they were safe 
from pursuit of the United States forces. 

On the 4th of March, 1S75, the Territory of Colorado 
was authorized by Congress to form a State Constitution, 
and the following year it was ratified by the people and 
admitted as the " Centennial State" of the Union. 

The year 1S76, which completed the first century of 



iiOO GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

American independence, was celebrated by a grand Expo- 
sition at Philadelphia, at which were represented all the 
countries of the world, civilized and uncivilized, the most 
successful affair of its kind ever projected. 

The year 1876 was also the year for another presi- 
dential election. Two governors were the standard-bearers 
of the two great parties, Rutherford B. Hayes, then Gov- 
ernor of Ohio, and Samuel J. Tilden, then Governor of 
New York. The former wan nominated as a compromise 
candidate after a convention of memorable excitement. 
Many wanted General Grant nominated for a third term, 
but his name was not presented in the Convention. 

Tlie campaign was so very close that each party claimed 
the victory. Charges and counter-charges of fraud were 
freely and fiercely made. The Republicans conceded that 
Mr. Tilden had lacked only one electoral vote of a majority. 
There was very serious danger of civil war. Both parties 
seemed ripe for bloodshed, but finally the patriotism and 
sagacity of a few men in Congress secured the passage of a 
law creating an Electoral Commission. It was conceded 
that Tilden had 1S4 votes out of a total of 369. The votes 
of South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana, especially the 
latter, were stoutly claimed by both parties. This extra- 
constitutional and national returning-board was to decide 
the matter in dispute. The result was that Hayes received 
the 185 votes, and was duly declared elected. 

General Grant vacated the presidency only upon the 
expiration of his time, March 4, 1S77. He won the admi- 
ration and love of his countrymen by his great military 
aciiievements, wisdom and loyalty, retaming it during his 
polirical and public careei'. He administered the govern- 
ment with moderation, generosity, wdsdom and success; he 



1 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 20I 

solved with rare patriotism and intelligence the many com- 
plicated and difficult questions that confronted him, and his 
place in history will ever be among the foremost. 

The foregoing were the principal events of General 
Grant's administration of the Government during eight 
years. During the time he undoubtedly made many mis- 
takes, but they were errors of the heart rather than of the 
mind. During the heated campaign of '72, notwithstand- 
ing the vituperation heaped upon his head by his enemies 
and the split in his own party, the people's faith in him 
was undisturbed, he being re-elected by an overwhelming 
popular majority, the greatest ever given to a presidential 
candidate. This was regarded as a complete vindication 
and refutal of the aspersions which had been cast upon his 
character. In his second inaugural address he refers to 
this subject in these words: 

" From my candidacy for my present office in 1868, to the close of 
the last presidential campaign, I have been the subject of abuse and 
slander, scarcely ever equaled in political history, which to-day i feel 
I can afford to disregard in view of your verdict, which I gratefully 
accept as my vindication ." 

To one who has read what General Grant has done 
little need be said as to what manner of man he is. The 
outline of his life shows his ability. Such achievement? 
ar.e not the result of luck or accident. They are seldom 
seen in history. He has not only shown great ability, but 
wisdom, practical sagacity and independence in the whirl 
.of extraordinary and important events which have occurred 
at Washington and in the South since the close of the war. 

For some months previous to the expiration of General 
Grant's second term of office, he felt the need of absolute 
rest, and that he might be entirely relieved from all cares 



202 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

and annoyances that would necessarily reach him, even in 
retirement, he planned a tour of the world, to occupy at 
least two years, hoping to find the relief sought for. The 
history of this trip, with its unprecedented and unlooked- 
for ovations and triumphal tour will be found of intense 
interest to every American. 

The following pages, descriptive of this journey, were 
originally issued by the publishers of this volume, immedi- 
ately after the General's return. Its insertion here will 
not detract from the interest the reader has in this subject. 
One of the most, if not the most, important eras in General 
Grant's life was this absolutely unique tour. To trace this 
journey step by step the reader is taken through the pal- 
aces and courts of royalty, and within " sacred walls " where 
no other American traveler ever penetrated. To witness 
the pomp and parade of armies, exhibited for General 
Grant's special pleasure, and to see all that is most beautiful 
in nature and art, will be found to possess an interest and 
fascination that cannot be resisted, and is as readable as a 
romance. 




GENERAL GRANT'S TOUR AROUND THE WORLD 



CHAPTER XIX. 



OFF FOR EUROPE. 

On May 17th, 1877, ex-President U. S. Grant, his wife, 
and son Jesse, sailed from Philadelphia for Europe, via 
American Line steamer Indiana. His departure was made 
the occasion of a great parting demonstration, in which 
all classes of the community seemed to take a hearty and 
enthusiastic share. The courtesies extended to him in 
every city through which he had passed since his retire- 
ment from the Presidency were alike creditable to those 
who proffered, and to him who received them, and were 
the outburst of a people who recognized his great military 
and civil services. Before leaving the steamer that con- 
veyed the General to the Indiana, a very interesting cere- 
mony took place on board. In the ladies' cabin a private 
table was spread for the distinguished guests, among whom 
were General Grant, at the head ot the table; General 
Sherman, on his right; Mayor Stokley, of Philadelphia, 
on his left; Honorable Hamilton Fish, Colonel Fred. 
Grant, Honorable Zach. Chandler, Honorable Simon Cam- 
eron, Honorable Don Cameron, and other prominent 
military and civil officers. After luncheon. Mayor Stokley 
arose and toasted the " honored guest of the day " in a few 
appropriate and eulogistic remarks. General Grant replied : 

" Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen: I had not expected 
to make a speech to-day, and therefore can do nothing 
more than thank you, as I have had occasion to do so ofter 

205 



2o6 OBNKRAL U. S. GRANT'S 

within the past week. I have been only eight days in 
Philadelphia, and have been received with such unexpect- 
ed kindness that it finds me with no words to thank you. 
What with driving in the park, and dinners afterward, 
and keeping it up until after midnight, and now to find 
myself still receiving your kind hospitality, I am afraid 
you have not left me stomach enough to cross the Atlan- 
tic." 

This was followed by short and highly complimentary 
speeches from General Sherman, ex-Secretary Fish, ex- 
Secreiary Chandler, ex-Secretary Robeson, ex-Senator 
Cameron, General Bailey, Governor Hartranft, and others; 
and 80 affected General Grant that he replied : 

"My Dear Friends: I was not aware mat wc 
would have so much speech-making here, or that it would 
be necessary for me to say any more to you, but I feel that 
the compliments you have so showered upon me were not 
altogether deserved — that they should not all be paid to 
me, either as a soldier or as a civil officer. As a General 
your praises do not all belong to me — as the executive of 
the nation they are not due to me. Tbere is no man who 
can fill both or either of these positions without the help 
of good men. I selected my lieutenants when I was in 
both positions, and they were men, I believe, who could 
have filled my place often better than I did. I never flat- 
tered myself that I was entitled to the place you gave me. 
My lieutenants could have acted perhaps better than I, had 
the opportunity presented itself. Sherman could have 
taken my place, as a soldier or in a civil office, and so could 
Sheridan, and others I might name. I am sure if the coun- 
try ever comes to this need again there will be men for the 
work. There will be men born for every emergency. 
Again I thank you, and again I bid you good-bye; and 
once again I say that, if I had failed, Sherman or Sheri- 



TOUR AROUND THH WORLD. 207 

dan, or some of my other lieutenants, would have succeed- 
ed." 

Shortly after this the General was transferred to the 
Indiana, last good-byes were said, and the steamer pro- 
ceeded on her way to England, arriving at Queenstown 
May 27, without mishap, the General and party having 
passed a delightful voyage, almost entirely free from the 
disagreeable effects of " seasickness", that renders an 
" ocean trip " so unpleasant. He was met by a delegation 
of prominent city officials, and tendered the hospitalities 
of Queenstown, with the assurance that every village and 
hamlet of Ireland had resounded with the praises of his 
name, and would welcome him with all the warmth and 
candor of the Irish people. He replied that he could 
not then avail himself of their hospitality, but would 
return to Ireland within a short time. 

Reaching Liverpool at half past two p. m., all the ship- 
ping in the Liverpool docks exhibited a profuse display of 
bunting, the flags of all nations waving along the seven 
miles of water front. An immense crowd was gathered 
on the docks to welcome the ex-President, and he landed 
amid cheers such as must have reminded him of the days 
directly after the war, when he was received by New York 
and other American cities. The Mayor of Liverpool read 
him an address of welcome, saluting him as an illustrious 
statesman and soldier, and when the ex-President modestly 
and in a few brief words acknowledged the honor done 
him, and expressed the very great pleasure he had from 
his reception, new cheers burst forth and a great crowd 
followed his carriage to the hotel. 

The judgment of strangers resembles somewhat the 
judgment of posterity. As he is regarded in European 
countries, so, doubtless, he will stand in history, when the 
bitterness and the littleness of partisan strife have passed 



2(y^ GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

away, and his real services to his country and his real char- 
acter are better understood. But in spite of partisan bitter- 
ness and personal opposition, such as a man of his positive 
character, placed in the most difficult position in the world, 
and kept there during eight long years, could not fail to 
arouse, nothing is more certain than that General Grant 
has to-day a larger share of the gratitude and the affection 
of the American people than any other of our public men 
No matter how widely men may have differed from him, 
no matter how they may have opposed him, if they are 
really Americans, and if they are manly and patriotic men, 
in their hearts they wish well to the man who led our 
armies to victory; whose firm will saved the Union, and 
who — no matter what they may think his errors during 
his Presidency — entered political life against his will, and 
at the demand of the people gave up the great and per- 
manent position the nation had given him, to serve it in a 
new and to him untried and unwelcome field; and who, 
during sixteen long and weary years, stood at his post of 
duty unrelieved and without rest. 

It is a fact not generally remembered, that Grant's great 
lieutenants in the war — Sherman, Sheridan and Farragut 
— all enjoyed the " vacation in Europe " which they had 
so well earned. To General Grant, their honored chief, 
alone, was rest denied. The country required of him, and 
him alone, that he should derange all his plans m life, 
that he should jiut off the period of rest which he coveted 
and which he had earned, that he should even surrender 
the place at the head of the armies, to which he was ap- 
pointed amid the plaudits of the j^eople, in order contin- 
uously to serve them. Few men of such arduous and 
conspicuous services have had so long and difficult a toui 
of duty imposed upon them. Republics are said to be un- 
grateful, but our own is not so entirely cold and devoid of 
gratitude that men do not feel a keen sense of gratitication 



TOUR AROUND THB WORLD. 209 

when they see their faithful and tired servant taking his 
ease at last, and receiving in foreign lands the honors and 
the respect to which his remarkable career so eminently 
entitle him. 

To the statesmen and soldiers whom he will meet, even 
more than to the general mass, he will be an object of 
great curiosity. Except Field Marshal Von Moltke, no 
general of our days has commanded and wielded such 
masses of men ; no general whom he will meet can boast 
of a more brilliantly conceived or a more daringly exe- 
cuted campaign than that of Vicksburg ; no one of them 
has had the control of so vast a field of war as he, and 
surely none has seen hotter fire than Grant withstood in 
the desperate days of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania and 
Cold Harbor. In every country in Europe which he may 
visit, he will find distinguished military chiefs who have 
studied his campaigns, who know how to appreciate the 
dogged courage of Shiloh, the brilliant audacity of Vicks- 
burg, the genius which recovered an imperilled position 
before Chattanooga, the indomitable perseverance of the 
Virginia campaigns, and the broad and comprehensive view 
which enabled him to plan the operations of armies 
stretched across half a continent. 

Nor will distinguished civilians be less eager to hear his 
voice and to scrutinize his features, for they will remem- 
ber that he acted a foremost part in many of the most 
notable events of the century; they will see in him the 
supporter and right hand of Lincoln in the emancipation 
of the slaves, the restorer of peace, the general who re- 
turned a million of soldiers to peaceful industries, the ruler 
of the American republic during eight years of extraordi- 
nary political turbulence. 

All the journals of the city next day appeared with 
highly complimentary editorials, assuring General Grant 
of a generous hospitality. The Daily News said that 



2 10 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

" General Grant was unquestionably the greatest soldier 
living." The General and Mrs. Grant had a perfect round 
of festivities at Liverpool. Hurried visits were made to 
all points of interest, visiting and examining the docks of 
the city, enlisting great interest from General Grant in the 
magnificent dock system, and, contrasted with the system 
of piers in the United States, he admitted the superiority 
of these supurb and substantial structures over those of 
the East and North rivers. 

The party returned to the city, and were driven to the 
town hall to lunch with the Mayor and other civic digni- 
taries. This building is one of the most interesting in the 
city, and the figure of Britannia, looking abroad from the 
summit of the great dome, reminds the visitor of the now 
celebrated Hermann monument in Germany. The ex- 
President was escorted to the reception saloon, and subse- 
quently examined the portraits of former mayors and 
wealthy merchants, who have long since passed away; 
the famous Chantry statues of Canning and Roscoe, and 
the elegant tapestry with which the various saloons are 
fitted up. 

Lunch was prepared. Covers were laid for fifty, the 
table being beautifully ■ decorated with choice flowers and 
ornaments in confection, suggestive of very elaborate pre- 
paration. Among those present, were the Mayor, the 
Mayoress, members of the city council, one member of 
parliament, the City Solicitor and several prominent mer- 
chants. Mrs. Grant sat on the left of the Mayor, and our 
cx-President on his tight. The repast was served immedi- 
ately the guests.assembled, and was a most enjoyable afiair. 

At the conclusion of lunch, the Mayor arose and pro- 
posed the health of the Queen, in accordance with the 
tradition which places English majesty first on all state 
and festive occasions. This was drank standing. The 
host jicxi proposed the heulih of " General and ex-Presi* 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD 3 H 

dent Grant, the distinguished soldier and statesman pres- 
ent," remarking that it would be unnecessary for him to 
repeat the earnestness of their welcome, their desire to 
draw closer the bonds of friendship between the two great- 
est commercial nations in the world, and especially to honor 
the hero of a hundred battles, whose courage and skill 
challenged their admiration. 

Grant responded with unusual gayety of manner, 
acknowledging the pleasure with which he received their 
constant manifestations of good will, believing that ulti- 
mately the bonds of union must be strengthened between 
the two countries. He excused himself from an extended 
reply. During the luncheon, the streets leading to the town 
hall were packed with spectators. 

General Grant afterward visited the exchange and news- 
rooms, where he was received with great enthusiasm. 
Leaving Liverpool for Manchester, May 30, immense 
crowds gathered along the route, and the stations were 
beautifully decorated, the American flag being everywhere 
prominent. Arriving at Manchester at eleven o'clock, he 
was received by the Mayor and Aldermen and a tremen- 
dous crowd of citizens, who manifested their enthusiasm by 
continued cheering. The Mayor's speech was quite lengthy, 
and referred feelingly to a similar occasion, when, in 1863, 
the ship Griswold brought a cargo of provisions to the 
suffering operatives of the city, who had been thrown out 
of employment, owing to the failure of the cotton crop 
from the South. This address was followed by a laudatory 
and congratulatory address by Sir John Heron, recalling the 
kind expressions which the Queen's birthday had evoked 
in America. He hoped for a constant increase of the exist- 
ing good feeling, and trusted that the visit of the ex-Presi- 
dent would ultimately lead to free commercial intercourse 
between England and the United States. 

The General, who had listened to the addretibes wiU) 



312 GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 

that quiet composure of manner peculiar to him — at> 
unmoved, though the target of thousands of eyes, as though 
alone — rising, acknowledged the presentation. " It is 
scarcely possible for me," he said, " to give utterance to the 
feelings evoked by my reception upon your soil from the 
moment of my arrival in Liverpool, w^here I have passed 
a couple of days, until the present moment. After the 
scene which I have witnessed in your streets, the elements 
of greatness, as manifested in your public and industrial 
buildings, I may be allowed to say, that no person could be 
the recipient of the honor and attention you have bestowed 
upon me, w^ithout the profoundest feelings. Such have 
been incited in me, and I find myself inadequate to their 
proper expression. It w^as my original purpose on my 
arrival in Liverpool to hasten to London, and frotr» thence 
proceed to visit the various points of interest in the coim- 
try. Among these I have regarded Manchester as the 
most important. As I have been aware for years of the 
great amount of your manufactures, many of which find 
their ultimate destination in my own country, so I am aware 
that the sentiments of the srreat mass of the people of Man- 
chester went out in sympathy to that country, durine the 
mighty struggle, in which it fell to my lot to take some 
humble part. The expressions of the people of Manchester 
at the time of the great trial, incited within the breasts 
of my countrymen a feeling of friendship toward them, 
distinct from that felt toward all England; and in that 
spirit 1 accept, on the part of my country, the compliments 
paid me as its representative, and thank you." 

After General Grant had concluded his address ot 
thanks, luncheon was served in the large banquet hall. 
Toasts to the Queen and the Prince of Wales were pro- 
posed and drank with all the honors. The Mayor of Man- 
chester responded to each in loyal speeches. The health of 
President Hayes was then proposed, and was received with 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



313 



enthusiasm. Mr. Newton Crane, United States consul to 
Manchester, responded amid applause. After these form- 
alities, the Mayor of Manchester proposed the health of 
General Grant, amid the plaudits of the assemblage. 

General Grant replied, with a humorous twinkle in his 
eye, that Englishmen had got more speeches and of greater 
length out of him than his own countrymen; but they 
were poorer, because they were longer than he was accus- 
tomed to make. He warmly returned thanks for the 
reception he had received at the hands of the people of 
Manchester, and concluded his remarks by proposing the 
health of the Mayoress and the ladies. The Mayor replied 
in suitable terms. 

Mr. Jacob Bright, M. P., being called upon for a 
speech, said : "No guest so distinguished has ever before 
visited Manchester. General Grant is a brave soldier, and 
he has pursued a generous, pacific policy toward the ene- 
mies he had conquered. He should be honored and beloved, 
and deserves the hearty reception he will receive through- 
out the realm." After the banquet, the General was intro- 
duced to the assemblage, and a general hand-shaking fol- 
lowed. In the evening he visted the Theatre Royal, and 
spent a short time at the Prince's Theatre. His reception, 
at both places was very enthusiastic. 

The journey from Manchester to London was marked 
by hearty greetings and welcomes at the several stations, 
and imposing demonstrations were made at Leicester and 
Bedford, as the handsomely decorated cars reached those 
places. To some of the addresses that were made to him, 
General Grant replied with an ease and sincerity which, 
no doubt, made our British cousins wonder how he came 
by his title of the "silent president." The secret lies, prob- 
ably, in the fact that the General detests forms and shams 
and political intrigue, and he had good reasons for his taci- 
turnity when he found himself surrounded by politicians 



2 I 4 OKNKRAL U. S. GRANT'S 

whom his judgment told him it was dangerous to trust. 
His welcome in England was a genuine outpouring of a 
nation's respect and admiration, and as such General Grant 
received it, and responded to it with an unembarrassed and 
earnest sinceri^. 



CHAPTER XX. 



GENERAL GRANT IN LONDON. 

General Grant arrived at the terminus of the Midland 
Railway (St. Pancras Station), London, June i, where he 
was met by Minister Pierrepont, in behalf of the United 
States, and Lord Vernon. Huge crowds thronged the 
entrance to the station, and cheered loudly, but there 
were no speeches. General Grant and party at once 
entered Minister Pierrepont's carriage, and were driven 
rapidly down Tottenham Court Road into Oxford street, 
thence to the residence of the American Minister. During 
the afternoon he was introduced to the Prince of Wales, it 
being his first visit of importance since reaching the city. 

The following day General Grant, Prince of Wales, 
Duke of Cambridge, Lord Dudley, Lord Eicho, the Duke 
of Hamilton, the German Ambassador, Count Munster, 
and a number of Peers, left London by rail to witness 
the races at Epsom. Returning to London, General 
Grant was entertained at a grand banquet at Apsley House, 
given in his honor by the Duke of Wellington. It was 
a splendid and hearty reception. The guests were Mrs. 
and General Grant, Count and Countess Gleichen, Lord 
and Lady Abercromby, Lord and Lady Churchill, Mar- 
quises Tweeddale, Sligo and Ailesbury, Earl Roden, Via 
count Torrington, Lords George Paget, Calthorpe, Hough- 
ton, Strathnairn, the Marchioness of Hertford, Countess 
of Hardwicke, Countess of Bradford, Lady Wellesley, 
Lady Emily Peel and Lady Skelmersdale, Miss Wellesley, 



2l6 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

and a number of others well known to the London world 
of high social life. 

The banquet was served up in the famous Waterloo 
Chamber, where the old Iron Duke loved to meet the war 
generals of 1 815 on the i8th of June every year, and cele- 
brate the anniversary of the great battle which forever 
closed the fortunes of Napoleon Bonaparte. Here, over- 
looking Hyde Park and within view of his own statute at 
the entrance to the park at Hyde Park corner, the old 
Duke presided over the annual banquet, reviewipg the 
events of the momentous times when the supremacy of 
Great Britain was hanging in the balance, with strong 
probabilities of the scale turning against her. The Water- 
loo Chamber has been closed a good deal since the death 
of Arthur Wellesley, for the present Duke and Duchess 
have spent most of their time when in England at the 
lovely estate in Winchelsea, which was presented to the 
eminent soldier by the Crown after the close of the great 
European wars. 

The present owner of the estates and titles of Welling- 
ton is a quiet, unassuming gentleman, who loves the fine 
arts, is a writer of ability, fishes in his lake at Winchelsea, 
and, during the season in London, patronizes the clubs. He 
is Lord of the Manor of Surrey, appoints the justices 
of the peace and attends to the poor. He is a member of 
the House of Lords, of course, but he has rarely done more 
than record his vote oh such extraordinary occasions as 
the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, and mat- 
ters affecting the autonomy in his party. The Duchess is 
considered one of the handsomest ladies in Europe, and has 
always been a great favorite with Queen Victoria. As a 
lady in waiting, she attends Her Majesty on all state occa- 
sions. Hence the tastes and desires of the Duke and 
Duchess have lead them to neglect Apsley House to some 
extent. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



217 



This Waterloo Chamber still contains some of the fine 
old paintings which were hung upon the walls by the first 
Duke. For instance, there is the celebrated painting, " Sign- 
ing the treaty of Westphalia," where the commander-in- 
chief is the central figure of a galaxy of generals, such as 
has seldom been gathered together since. A magnificent 
life-size portrait of Napoleon, Landseer's " Van Amburgh 
and the Lions," Correggio's " Christ on the Mount of 
Olives," on a panel, and full length portraits of foreign 
sovereigns and notabilities, by Velasquez, Wilkie and 
Teniers, are in the saloons adjoining. The Duke was look- 
ing out of the main window overlooking the park at the 
time the house was mobbed by the reformers whorrt he 
opposed. 

It was a dramatic incident, that the conqueror of Lee 
should meet in this revered chamber the descendant of the 
conqueror of Napoleon the Great. General Grant was 
given precedence in the honors of the evening, escorting 
the Duchess of Wellington to supper, and afterward escort- 
ing her to the reception, at which were present the Duke 
and Duchess of Cleveland, the Duke and Duchess of Suth- 
erland, the Duke and Duchess of Manchester, and many 
of those already mentioned above. 

There were no speeches of note at the supper, which 
was a quiet though brilliant affair. The grand gaseliers 
lit up the magnificent hall ' and the lovely damasks and 
laces, and revealed the wealth of gold and silver and tlie 
flowers and confections of the table. 

General Grant attended divine service on the 3d in 
Westminster Abbey. An eloquent sermon was preached 
by Dean Stanley, from Genesis xxvii. 38. In the course 
of his sermon he alluded to ex-President Grant, saying, 
"that in the midst of the congregation there was one of 
the chiefest citizens of the United States, who had just laid 
down his sceptre of the American commonwealth, who. 



3l8 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

by his military prowess and generous treatment of his com- 
rades and adversaries, had restored unity to his country. 
We welcome him as a sign and pledge that the two great 
kindred nations are one in heart, and are equally at home 
under this fraternal roof. Both regard with reverential 
affection this ancient cradle of their common life." 

Although the Duke of Wellington was the first to 
exhibit to a circle of admirers the great lion of the season, 
yet it was only possible for him to make a restricted use of 
his triumph in favor of the type of humanity that can be 
invited to a ducal mansion. The real introduction of the 
ex-President to the world of Londoners was made on the 
5th, by the American Minister, in a reception so brilliant 
that all occasions of the sort which have hitherto shone 
in the annals of our legations aoroad will become a prey 
to " dumb forgetfulness." In each one of the engage- 
ments scored for a month ahead, the ex-President met 
some one set of English society — men of this or that 
party or shade of opinion, men of science or of letters, 
army men or navy men — but at the legation, and presented 
by the American Minister, he had an opportunity to make 
the acquaintance of English society, without regard to the 
lines which divide it into so many coteries, and saw at its 
best that average quantity of the London world which 
he could never get at one view save on some such neutral 
ground as our Minister's parlors. The reception at Min- 
ister Pierrepont's was immensely successful. The lega- 
tion in Cavendish Square was interiorly decorated with 
the grandest profusion of flowers, with the grand old 
American flag over all. Since the announcement was 
made that the Minister would receive the ex-President, 
Mrs. Picrrepont had been overwhelmed with requests for 
invitations, and out of her good nature acceded, until the 
number of cards out guaranteed perhaps a greater throng 
than would ordinarily be comfortable. But, after all, what 



TOUR AROUND THK WORLD. 219 

is a reception without a crush? Despite the immense 
crowd, especially of on-lookers, in Cavendish Square, 
there was not the slightest confusion. Carriages rolled 
up, occupants moved out and up into the mansion, with 
that absence of surrounding noise and shouting that char- 
acterizes your true reception where the ton is bon and the 
servants well drilled. 

On entering, the guests were shown into the cloak 
rooms, on the ground floor, where wraps were left and a 
last glance in the mirrors taken. Who, even a philoso- 
pher, disdains that last reflective glance? 

On ascending the drawing-room floor, the guests were 
announced in the small ante-room where stood Mrs. 
Pierrepont, General Grant, Colonel Badeau, Mrs. Grant, 
and Mr. Fierrepont, in the order given. 

General Grant was attired in plain evening dress, which 
was conspicuous in its plainness amid the stars, garters 
and ribbons worn by many of lesser note; even the Jap- 
anese Minister was more gorgeous. As for the Chinese 
Embassy, no tea chest ever equalled their curious splendor. 

Mrs. Grant wore a toilet of claret-coloied stamped vel- 
vet, and cream satin, high-necked, and with long sleeves. 

Mrs. Pierrepont was clad in an elaborate costume of 
scarlet and black. 

Among the English notables present, were the Lord 
Chancellor, the Dukes of Leeds and Bedford, the Marquises 
of Salisbury and Hertford, the Earls of Derby, Belmore, 
Longford, Dunravan, Ducie, Caithness and Shaftesbury, 
Lord Airey, General Probyn, Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone, 
with peers and peeresses innumerable. 

Every American resident responded to the Minister's 
invitation. The Morgans and the Peabodys, Mr. James 
McHenry, Chevalier WikofT, Mr. G. W. Smalley, Chief 
Justice Shea, Mr. Moncure D. Conway, Mr. Newton Crane, 
Consul at Manchester, Mrs. Fairchild, Mrs. Julia Ward 



230 GENKRAL U- S. GRANT's 

Howe and her daughter Maud, Mr. and Mrs. Ives, Mrs. 
Hicks and Miss Nannie Schomberg, were among the most 
prominent. 

The immense majority of the dresses of the ladies 
were in excellent taste, and none were censurable. The 
American belles carried away the palm for style and beauty, 
as they usually do on such occasions. 

At half-past twelve Mrs. Pierrepont and General Grant 
came down stairs, and, standing in the lower hall, bade 
farewell to the parting guests, while Mrs. Grant, Mr. 
Pierrepont and Colonel Badeau took up position in a separ- 
ate room, the amiable Secretary of Legation, Mr. William 
J. Hoppin, hovering over one and all. The children of 
both nations left the legation with a feeling that the tie be- 
tween them had been strengthened in the generous hospi- 
tality of the American representative and the cordial 
response of England's best and greatest. 

On the 6th, General Grant dined with the Earl Car- 
narvon, and in the evening attended the royal concert at 
Buckingham Palace; on the yth, dined with Lord Hough- 
ton; on the 8th, with the Marquis of Hertford, where he 
met about fifty of the members of the house of lords, and 
in the evening a grand reception tendered by General 
Badeau, in Beaufort Gardens. Here his reception was 
brilliant, and only eclipsed by that of Minister Pierrepont. 
When General Grant arrived, a distinguished company had 
already assembled in the drawing-room, by whom he was 
most warmly greeted. Among the "first to welcome him 
was Mr. Gladstone, who appeared to take great interest in 
American affairs. 

As General Grant moved about the saloon, he encoun- 
tered Lord Northbrooke, Lord Fitzwilliam, Lord O'Hagan, 
Sir Charles Dilkc, Sir James Colville, Viscount Reid- 
haven. Sir Patrick and Lady Grant, who claim some kind 
of kinship with our illustrious countryman; the Lord 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 231 

Bishop of Bristol and Gloucester, Jacob and Mrs. Bright, 
Mr. Kinglake, Tom Hughes, who has become almost a 
hero to Americans; Mr. Macmillan, the publisher of the 
celebrated magazine bearing his name; Mr. Walter, pro- 
prietor of the Times ; Mr. Bothwick, of the Morning 
Post^ and Baron Renter. 

On the 9th, General Grant attended a reception at the 
Hertford mansion, having lunched with Lord Granville 
previously. On the nth, he was at his daughter's, Mrs. 
Sartoris, remaining until the 15th, when occurred the 
grand reception by the corporation of London, at which 
time he was made an honorary citizen, and presented with 
the freedom of the city. 

The presentation of the freedom of the city of London 
is always an event of importance. It is no common honor. 
The greatest heroes and the proudest monarchs have been 
reckoned among the " freemen." George IIL, who always 
expressed a supreme contempt for ordinary matters and 
mortals, had to acknowledge that the city of London could 
bestow a franchise more valuable than all the knighthoods 
and baubles of the crown. Since his day hundreds of men, 
whose works will ever be regarded as the gems of history 
— statesmen, scientists, lawyers, merchants, princes — have 
been recorded in the grand old book which is prized by 
the corporation of London more than all the privileges and 
immunities granted by the government. George Peabody, 
the noble and benevolent American merchant, whose name 
is ever uttered by the poor of the English metropolis with 
affectionate reverence, was made a freeman. General Gari- 
baldi, the liberator of Italy and the father of Italian unity, 
received the same privilege. The Shah of Persia, the Sul- 
tan of Turkey, the Czar of Russia, Prince Leopold of 
Belgium, Napoleon IIL, General Blucher and M. Thiers 
were also presented with the rights, privileges and immu 



222 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

nities of the dwellers within " ye Bishopsgate " and TempU 
Bar. 

It has often been asked, What is the freedom of the 
city of London? It is simply this — a small slip of parch- 
ment, inscribed with the name and titles of the person to 
whom it is to be presented, guarantees to the holder and 
his children after him forever the right to live and trade 
within the city prescribed by St. Clements in the west, 
Bishopsgate in the east, Pentonville on the north, and the 
shores of the Thames on the south, without having to pay 
a tax on the goods as they are brought through the gates. 
It exempts them from naval and military service, and tolls 
and duties throughout the United Kingdom. It insures to 
his children the care of the Chamberlain, who, incase they 
are left orphans, taxes charge of their property and admin- 
isters it in their interest until they arrive at years of matu- 
rity. The parchment bears the seal and signature of the 
Lord Mayor and Chamberlain, and is generally ornamented 
with ribbon, and illuminated. It is always enclosed in a 
long, thin gold box, and is intended, of course, as an heir- 
loom. 

When the corporation have decided to confer the parch- 
ment upon any distinguished individual, he is notified in the 
old-fashioned style by the City Chamberlain, whose missive 
begins, " You are hereby commanded to appear in the 
common hall," etc., naming the date when the city fathers 
will be present. He is met in the common hall by the 
Mayor and Councillors. The City Chamberlain informs him 
that the city has decided to confer upon him the privileges 
of a free citizen, and makes an address, usually applauda- 
tory of the special services or merits of the individual. The 
recipient signs his name in the Clerk's book, and this offi- 
cial and the City Chamberlain then sign their names beneath, 
guarantors or " compurgators," becoming, according to the 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 323 

rule, responsible for his acts as a citizen. The recipient 
then steps forward, the oath is administered by the Cham- 
berlain, who demands that he shall be in all and every 
respect true and loyal to the interests of the city ; he shakes 
hands with the Mayor, Chamberlain, Clerk and Councillors, 
and the gold box is committed to his care. 

The reception was a complete success. It was a his- 
torical event in the history of two great nations. The 
event excited unusual ^interest, even in cynical London. 
The day was sunny and clear, being what many of the 
spectators called " Queen's weather." 

General Grant arrived most unostentatiously in the 
private carriage of the American Minister, accompanied 
by his wife, Jesse (his son), Mr. and Mrs. Pierrepont and 
General Badeau. Ten thousand spectators crowded to the 
edge of the barricades and greeted him with that hearty 
cheering peculiar to the English when they desire to wel 
come a stranger of distinction. 

Just as much enthusiasm was manifested as on the occa- 
sion of the visits of the Shah, four years before, and when 
Garibaldi took the Emperor of the French by surprise and 
accepted an ovation such as will never be forgotten by 
those who witnessed it at the Mansion House. 

As Grant alighted, he was met by a deputation ol 
London Aldermen, arrayed in their gorgeous crimson 
robes and with the gold cliains of office glittering in the 
sunlight. As he passed on into the corridor, a company of 
the City Guards and Yeomen presented arms and the 
crowd again gave a long cheer. It was a brilliant scene. 

The distinguished party were then escorted into the 
library. Here the scene became bewildering in its antique 
splendor. The stately hall, with its stately alcoves lined 
with books, and its many colored windows which blushed in 
the golden sunlight, the ladies attired in their variegated 
spring toilets, the Aldermen in scarlet and the Councilmen 



224 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

in their mazarine robes, all presented an ensemble at once 
charming and inspiring. The band played " Hail Colum- 
bia " as the party entered. 

General Gi'ant walked in a dignified and self-possessed 
manner toward the Mayor's chair, and took a seat to the 
left of the dais, amid the most cordial cheering. The 
City Chamberlain arose, and read the formal address on 
behalf of the Mayor, tendering to the General the right 
hand of fellowship, and referring at length to the fact that 
he was the first President of the American Republic who 
had been elevated to the dignity of citizenship of the city 
of London. 

Alluding to the kindness extended by America to the 
Prince of Wales and Prince Arthur, he said the corpor- 
ation received General Grant, desiring to compliment the 
General and the country in his person by conferring on him 
the honorary freedom of their ancient city, a freedom exist- 
ing eight centuries before his ancestors landed on Ply- 
mouth Rock — nay, even before the time of the Norman 
Conqueror. London, in conferring the honor, recognized 
the distinguished mark he has left on American history, 
his magnanimity, his triumphs and his consideration for his 
vanquished adversaries. It also recognized the conciliatory 
policy of his administration. 

They, the corporation, fervently hoped he would enjoy 
his visit to England; that he might live long, and be 
spared to witness the two great branches of the Anglo- 
Saxon family go on in their career of increasing amity and 
mutual respect, in an honest rivalry for the advancement 
of the peace, the liberty and the morality of mankind. 

In conclusion, the speaker said: "Nothing now remains, 
General, but that I should present to you an illuminated 
copy of the resolution of this honorable court, for the 
reception of which an appropriate casket is preparing, and, 
finally, to oflfer you, in the name of this honorable court. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 223 

the right hand of fellowship as a citizen of London." 
The Chamberlain then shook General Grant's right hand 
amid loud cheering. 

Grant arose, and very briefly and appropriately thanked 
the court for the distinguished honor, and then signed his 
name to the roll of honor, with the Clerk and Chamberlain 
as compurgators. 

The gold casket, containing the freedom of the city, is 
in the cinque cento style, oblong, the corners mounted by 
American eagles, and beautifully decorated. On the 
reverse side is a view of the entrance to the Guildhall, and 
an appropriate inscription. At the ends are two figures, 
also in gold, finely modeled and chased, representing the 
city of London and the United States, and bearing their 
respective shields, the latter executed in rich enamel. At 
the corners are double columns laurel wreathed with corn 
and cotton, and on the cover a cornucopia, emblematic of 
the fertility and prosperity of the United States. The 
rose, shamrock and thistle are also introduced. The cover 
is surmounted by the arms of the city of London. The 
casket is supported by American eagles, modeled and 
chased in gold, the whole standing on a velvet plinth deco- 
rated with stars and stripes. 

The company then proceeded to the banqueting hall, 
where seats had been provided for one thousand guests. 
The Lord Mayor presided. At his right sat General and 
Mrs. Grant, Minister and Mrs. Pierrepont, General 
Badeau and Jesse Grant. 

Among the distinguished guests present, were Sir Staf- ^ 
ford Northcote, Lord and Lady Tenderden, Mr. Stans- 
field, Mr. A. E. Foster, several peers prominent in the 
house of lords, a number of the members of the house of 
commons, consuls, merchants, and other citizens of Lon- 
don. 

The room was decorated with miniature English aixl 



2 26 GENERAL U. S. GRANT*« 

American flags, and the tables presented an interestias: 
and artistic appearance. 

After the dejeuner^ the toastmaster, dressed in a gor- 
geous silk sash formed of stars and stripes, arose, and the 
bugle sounded. The first toast was "The Queen," the sec- 
ond was " The Health of General Grant," which was 
received by the guests standing, and amid great cheering. 
The Lord Mayor then said : "I, as chief magistrate 
of the city of London, and on the part of the corporation, 
offer you as hearty a welcome as the sincerity of language 
can convey. Your presence here, as the late President of 
the United States, is especially gratifying to all classes of 
the community, and we feel that, although this is your first 
visit to England, it is not a stranger we greet, but a tried 
and honored friend. Twice occupying, as you did, the 
exalted position of President of the United States, and, 
therefore, one of the foremost representatives of that coun- 
try, we confer honor upon ourselves by honoring you. Let 
me express both the hope and the belief that, when you 
take your departure, you will feel that many true friends 
of yours personally, and also of your countrymen, have 
been left behind. I have the distinguished honor to pro- 
pose to your health. May you long live to enjoy the best 
of health and unqualified happiness." 

General Grant's reply was made with deep emotion, and 
was simply to return his thanks for the unexpected bono: 
paid him, and his desire to say much more for their brilliant 
reception than he could express. 

" The United States " was coupled with the name of 
Mr. Pierrepont, who responded in a happy speech, com- 
plimenting Grant and England. The final toast was " The 
city of London," and responded to by the Lord Mayor. 
The company then di'^persed with " three cheers for Gen- 
eral Grant and the United States." 

After leaving the Guildhall, the company proceeded 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



227 



to the Mansion House, at the corner of what was once 
the famous Bucklesbury and Poultry. Here they took 
coffee with the Mayor. 

Then the Mayor's state carriage was ordered, and they 
drove over to Sydenham to the crystal palace, arriving at 
the main entrance at half past four o'clock p. m. They 
were received with the most boisterous enthusiasm. There 
were at least thirty thousand persons present. A tour ot 
the vast building was rapidly made, the party dining in the 
west wing. General Grant avoided all demonstrations 
made by the crowd. When darkness set in. Grant was 
escorted to the place of honor in the Queen's corridor of the 
palace, where he remained for some time smoking and 
chatting with his friends and their ladies. 

A grand display of fireworks took place during the 
evening. The principal pyrotechnic display pieces were 
the portrait of Grant and the capitol at Washington, which 
were received with prolonged cheers. 

At about eleven o'clock the demonstration finished, 
and the party returned to town in their carriages. Gen- 
eral Grant, on parting with the Mayor, expressed his ex- 
treme gratification and pleasure. 

On the 1 6th, General and Mrs. Grant dined with the 
Marquis of Lome and the Princess Louise, at Kensington 
castle; on the i8th, at breakfast with Mr. George W. 
Smalley, correspondent New York Tribune. Everything 
was recherche^ and the company of the choicest. Among 
the guests were Professor Huxley, the scientist; Matthew 
Arnold, Sir Charles Dilke, Sir Frederick Pollock, Robert 
Browning, A. W. Kinglake, Anthony Trollope, Tom 
Hughes, Meredith Townsend, Frank Hill, Right Honorable 
James Stanfield, and many others. 

In the evening General Grant was the guest of the 
Reform club. Earl Granville presiding. The party num- 
bered forty, and represented the liberal ideas which the club 



228 GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 

sets itself the task of embodying. The dinner itself w«i 
among the finest ever given in London, the cuisine of this 
association of liberal gentlemen being celebrated all over 
the world, and free from all danger of its chef ever being 
called on to fight for his reputation in the courts, as the 
Napoleon of the soup tureen who composes banquets for 
a rival club was obliged to do of late. The table was a 
picture in itself, not to speak of the good things between 
the top and bottom of the ?nenu. 

Earl Granville, as soon as the cloth was removed, pro- 
posed the health of Her Majesty the Queen. To this the 
Right Honorable William E. Forster responded in a 
singularly eloquent speech. In the course of his remarks 
he referred to the great services of General Grant in the 
cause of human freedom. He dwelt with particular em- 
phasis upon the importance to civilization of the cultivation 
of amicable relations between the two great countries, Eng- 
land and the United States. With great felicity he pictured 
the results of such a state of friendliness, and elicited con- 
tinued cheering. Passing on to a more practical branch of 
his subject, he amplified upon the opportunities for ad- 
vancement to the human race, which a hearty concord 
between the two nations would give. He saw in it the ac- 
celeration of discoveries in every branch of science, the 
material progress of the masses and the setting up of loftier 
standards of private taste and public virtue. 

Earl Granville proposed the health of " the Illustrious 
Statesman and Warrior, General Ulysses S. Grant," al- 
luding in the course of his pithy speech to the beneficent 
results accruing to both nations from the settlement of the 
Alabama Claims. " England and America," he said, "nay, 
civilization throughout the universe, recognize in General 
Grant one of those extraordinary instruments of Divine 
Providence bestowed in its beneficence to the human race." 

Upon rising to reply. General Grant was greeted with 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 329 

a perfect storm of applause. "I am overwhelmed," he 
said, "with the kindness shown by Englishmen to me 
and expressed to America. I regret that I am unable ade- 
quately to express, even with the temptation to do so of 
the omnipresent enterprise of the New York Herald 
[cheers] — to express my thanks for the manifold fraternal 
courtesies I have received. Words would fail, especially 
within the limitations of a public speech, to express my 
feelings in this regard. I hope, when an opportunity is 
offered me of calmer and more deliberate moments, to put 
on record my grateful recognition of the fraternal senti- 
ments of the English people, and the desire of America to 
render an adequate response." " The speech of Earl Gran- 
ville," he continued, " has inspired thoughts in my bosom 
which it is impossible for me adequately to present. Never 
have I lamented so much as now my poverty in phrases to 
give due expression to my affection for the mother country." 

General Grant spoke under the pressure of unusual 
feeling, and continued with unusual eloquence to express 
the hope that his words, so far as they had any value, would 
be heard in both countries and lead to the union of the 
English speaking people and the fraternity of the human 
race. During the delivery of his speech the applause and 
cheering was almost continuous while he was on his feet. 
The dinner was the greatest demonstration yet made in the 
ex-President's honor. 

The interest taken by the American public in the move- 
ments of General Grant not only concerns itself with the 
honors showered upon the great soldier, but also partakes 
of "curiosity to observe what effect all this will have upon 
the man. He has always been individually an object of 
speculation. 

During the war, people studied his cigar stumps, and 
we all remember what Lincoln, judging by results, thought 
of his brand of whisky. His silence was symbolical, and 



220 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

eager partisans, and often the nation, grasped at his ccnten- 
tious utterances — if not as the rallying cries of new ideas, 
at least as old ones put into fighting form. From operating 
on millions of men he has become a being to be operated 
on. f*rinces, dukes, earls, marquises, viscounts, have him 
within short range, and fire dinners and receptions at him. 
Princesses, duchesses, marchionesses, open all their batter- 
ies and smiles and soft speech upon him. The heavy shot 
of statesmen, scientists and philanthropists bang into his 
brain. British brass bands blaze away at him, British 
crowds let fly volleys of cheers at him, and away ahead ate 
seen the ammunition trains of the nobility, gentry and com- 
mon j>cople, coming up with more dinners, receptions, civic 
honors, brass bands and cheers. Almost enough to make 
us pity hiiu. How will he come out of the ordeal? 



CHAPTER XXI. 



GRANT IN ENGLAND. 

The following letter, written by Gen, Grant to George 
W. Childs, of Philadelphia, will be of general interest: 
"London, Eng., June i6, 1877. 

"My Dbar Mr. Childs: — After an unusually stormy 
passage for any season of the year, and continuous sea- 
sickness generally among the passengers after the second 
day out, we reached Liverpool Monday afternoon, the 28th 
of May. • Jesse and I proved to be among the few good 
sailors. Neither of us felt a moment's uneasiness during 
the voyage. 

"I had proposed to leave Liverpool immediately on arri- 
val, and proceed to London, where I knew our Minister had 
made arrangements for a formal reception, and had accepted 
for me a few invitations of courtesy; but what was my sur- 
prise to find nearly all the shipping in port at Liverpool 
decorated with flags of all nations, and from the mainmast 
of each the flag of the Union was most conspicuous. 

"The docks were lined with as many of the population 
as could find standing room, and the streets, to the hotel 
where it was understood my party would stop, were packed. 
The demonstration was, to all appearances, as hearty and 
as enthusiastic as at Philadelphia on our departure. 

"The Mayor was present with his state carriage, to con- 
vey us to the hotel, and after that to his beautiful country 
residence, some six miles out, where we were entertained 
at dinner with a small party of gentlemen, and remained 

231 



233 GENEKAI. U. S. GRANTS 

over night. The following day a large party was given at 
the official residence of the Mayor, in the city, at which 
there were some one hundred and fifty of the distinguished 
citizens and officers of the corporation present. Pressing 
invitations were sent from most of the cities of the kingdom 
to have me visit them. I accepted for a day at Manchester, 
and stopped a few moments at Leicester, and at one other 
place. The same hearty welcome was shown at each place, 
as you have no doubt seen. 

"The press of the country has been exceedingly kind 
and courteous. So far I have not been permitted to travel 
in a regular train, much less in a common car. The Mid- 
land road, which penetrates a great portion of the island, 
including Wales and Scotland, have extended to me the 
courtesy of their road, and a Pullman car to take me 
wherever I wish to go during the whole of my stay in 
lingland. We arrived in London on Monday evening, the 
30th of May, when I found our Minister had accepted 
engagements for me up to the 27th of June, having but a 
few spare days in the interval. 

"On Saturday last we dined with the Duke of Welling- 
ton, and last night the fonnal reception at Judge Pierre- 
pont's was held. It was a great success, most brilliant in 
the numbers, rank and attire of the audience, and was 
graced by the presence of every American in the city who 
had called on the minister or left a card for me. I doubt 
whether London has ever seen a private house so elabo- 
rately or tastefully decorated as was our American minis- 
ter's last night. I am deeply indebted to him for the pains 
he has taken to make my stay pleasant, and the attentions 
extended to our country. I appreciate the fact, and am 
proud of it, that the attentions I am receiving are intended 
more for our country than for me personally. I love to see 
our country honored and respected abroad, and I am proud 
to believe that it is by most all nations, and by some even 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



'33 



loved. It has always been my desire to see all jealousy 
between England and the United States abated, and every 
sore healed. Together they are more powerful for the 
spread of commerce and civilization than all others com- 
bined, and can do more to remove causes of wars by cre- 
ating moral interests that would be so much endangered 
by war. 

"I have written very hastily, and a good deal at length, 
but I trust this will not bore you. Had I written for publi- 
cation, I should have taken more pains. 

"U. S. Grant." 

On the 19th, General and Mrs. Grant, Minister and 
Mrs. Pierrepont, and Consul-General Badeau, dined at 
Marlborough House with the Prince of Wales. The din- 
ner was a full dress affair. Earls Beaconsfield, Derby and 
Granville, and the leading members of the government, 
were present. The ex-President occupied the seat of honor 
at the table. The dinner proved one of the most enjoyable 
since the General's arrival. 

On the 20th, a deputation waited on ex-President Grant 
at General Badeau's house, to present an address and ex- 
press gratitude for his aid in procuring from the government 
of the United States recognition of the claims of Mrs. 
Carroll, whose husband was killed in a naval engagement 
during the American war. The deputation was presented 
by Mr. Mullaly. Dr. Brady, M. P., said he had been 
greatly gratified, as had all Irishmen to whom he had 
spoken, at the reception of General Grant in this country. 

The General said it was very gratifying to him to 
know that a case, no doubt worthy and deserving, had been 
righted, and that this act of justice had been performed un- 
der his government. As to himself, he was simply the 
executive, and could claim no credit in the matter further 
than for having approved what was done. The government 



234 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



of the United States was much like that of England, and 
was divided into three branches, each distinct and independ- 
ent. Of course, his own branch had its share in urging 
the claims of this case, but without legislative action nothing 
could have been done. 

On the 2 1 St, ex- President Grant dined at the residence 
of Minister Pierrepont. The Prince of Wales was pres- 
ent, attended by Major General Sir Dighton Probyn, con- 
troller of his household. General Grant sat on the right 
of the prince, and Mrs. Pierrepont on the left. Mrs. Grant 
sat opposite the Prince, having the Duke of Richmond on 
her right and Mr. Pierrepont on her left. Mesdames Grant 
and Pierrepont were the only ladies present. The other 
guests were theTurkish, Austrian, German, French, Italiaf 
and Russian ambassadors; tne Dukes of Argyle, Welling- 
ton and Westminster; the Marquises of Salisbury, Hertford 
and Lansdowne; the Earls of Beaconsfield, Derby and 
Carnarvon; Earls Granville and Manvers; Lords Cairne, 
Manners and Houghton, also Sir Stafford Northcote; Mr. 
Cross, Home Secretary; Mr. Gawthorne Hardy, Mr. Hop- 
pan, Mr. Beckwith and Jesse Grant. 

On the 22d, a special performance at the London Royal 
Italian Opera was given in honor of General Grant. The 
house was filled. General and Mrs. Grant and General 
Badeau arrived at half-past eight. The curtain immediately 
rose, disclosing Mile. Albani and the full chorus of the 
company, behind whom was a group of American flags. 
Mile. Albani sang the " Star Spangled Banner," with the 
full chorus and orchestra. General Grant, for the first time 
since his arrival in England, was dressed in the full uniform 
of a major general. The entire audience rose on the Gener- 
al's entrance, and remained standing during the singing, as 
did also the General and wife. After the song was fin- 
ished, he was loudly applauded and bowed in response. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 235 

General Grant was obliged to leave early to go to the 
Queen's ball at Buckingham Palace. The General's box 
was decorated with flowers. 

On the 24th, General Grant was present at a banquet 
given by the corporation of Trinity House. The Prince 
of Wales presided. Prince Leopold, Prince Christian, the 
Prince of Leinington, the Prince of Saxe- Weimar, the 
Duke of Wellington, the Marquis of Hertford, the Earl of 
Derby, the Earl of Carnarvon, Sir Stafford Northcote, 
Mr. Cross, and Chief Justice Sir Alexander Cockburn, 
were among the distinguished company present. 

The Prince of Wales, referring to General Grant, in 
the course of his speech, said : " On the present occasion 
it is a matter of peculiar gratification to us as Englishmen 
to rcvcivc hs our guest General Grant. I cnn assure him 
for myself, and for all loyal subjects of the Queen, that it 
has given us the greatest pleasure to see him as a guest in 
this country." 

Earl Carnarvon proposed the health of the visitors, and 
coupled with it General Grant's name. 

He said " Strangers of all classes, men of letters, arts, 
science, state, and all that has been most worthy and great, 
have, as it were, come to this center of old civilization. I 
venture, without disparagement to any of those illustrioua 
guests, to say that never has there been one to whom we 
willingly accord a freer, fuller, heartier welcome than we 
do to General Grant on this occasion — not merely because 
we believe he has performed the part of a distinguished 
general, nor because he has twice filled the highest office 
which the citizens of his great country can fill, but because 
we look upon him as representing that good will and affec- 
tion which ought to subsist between us and the United 
States. It has been my duty to be connected with the 
great Dominion of Canada, stretching several thousand 
Biiles along the frontier of the United States, and during 



236 GENERAL U. S. GRANT^S 

the last three or four years I can truthfully say that noth- 
ing impressed me more than the interchange of friendly 
and good offices which took place between the two coun- 
tries under the auspices of President Grant." 

General Grant replied that he felt more impressed than 
he had possibly ever felt before on any occasion. He came 
here under the impression that this was Trinity House, and 
that trinity consisted of the army, navy, and peace. He 
thought it was a place of quietude, where there would be 
no talk or toasts. He had been, therefore, naturally sur- 
prised at hearing both. He had heard some remarks from 
His Royal Highness which compelled him to say a word in 
response. He begged to thank His Highness for these 
remarks. There had beep other things said during the 
evening highly gratifying to him. Not the least gratify- 
ing was to hear that there were occasionally in this country 
party fights as well as in America. He had seen before 
now a war between three departments of the .state, the 
executive, the judicial, and the legislative. He had not 
seen the political parties of England go so far as that. He 
would imitate their chaplain, who had set a good example 
of oratory — that was shortness — and say no more than 
simply thank His Royal Highness and the company on 
behalf of the visitors. 

This reception at Windsor Castle, on the 26th, may be 
regarded as the culmination of the remarkable social atten- 
tions which were bestowed on General Grant in such pro- 
fuse abundance during his visit to England. No such 
honor'-,, nor anything approaching them, have ever before 
been paid to an American citizen. While their distinguished 
recipient modestly regards them as a compliment to 
his country rather than to himself, it is pretty safe to say 
that there is no other American citizen through whom such 
honors to our Republic would have been possible. The 
English people feel, as all mankind in all ages Jhave felt, 



TOUR AROUND THB WORLD. 239 

the magic of great military names. It is General Grant's 
resplendent and successful career as a soldier, rather than the 
fact that he has been twice elected the chief magistrate of a 
great country, that has broken down so many social barri- 
ers in his favor. His quiet and undemonstrative personal 
manners have contributed to his favorable reception. He 
is such a contrast to the oftensive bumptiousness too often 
exhibited by Americans, that Englishmen are ready to 
concede a great deal more than he would ever think of 
claiming for himself. While his splendid reception is no 
doubt a compliment to the American people, it is also a great 
personal compliment to the only man who could have 
evoked such a series of demonstrations. 

General Grant and wife left London by the five p. M. 
train from Paddington, and arrived at Windsor at thirty- 
five minutes past five. The Mayor, several members of the 
corporation, and a number of spectators, were assembled 
on the platform to witness the arrival. The General and 
Mrs. Grant, who were accompanied by Minister Pierre- 
pont, were conveyed in one of Her Majesty's carriages to 
the castle, where they were received by the Queen at the 
bottom of the staircase at the Queen's entrance, and con- 
ducted through the state corridor to the white drawing 
room. After a short interview. General Grant and wife 
were conducted to apartments over the Waterloo Gallery, 
overlooking the Home Park. In the evening a grand 
dinner party was given in General Grant's honor. 

Dinner was served in Oak Room, according to custom, 
which reserves St. George's Hall for state banquets. The 
party was small, because etiquette requires that the Queen 
shall converse with every guest. 

The introductions were made as follows: Minister 
Fierrepont, advancing, introduced General Grant; then 
Lord Derby stepped forward with Mrs. Grant. The Queen 
shook hands with them, while the ladies in waiting simply 



240 

bowed. This formality at an end, the gentlemen led the 
way to the Oak Room. The Queen sat at the head of the 
table. On her right were respectively Prince Leopold, 
Princess Christian and General Grant; on her left Prince 
Christian, Princess Beatrice and Minister Pierrepont. Then 
came the Duchess of Wellington, Lord Elphinstone and 
Mrs. Pierrepont; Lord Derby and Mrs. Grant; the Duch- 
ess of Roxburgh and Lord Biddulph; the Countess of 
Derby and Jesse Grant. 

During the dinner, the band of the Grenadier Guards, 
under Dan Godfrey, played in the quadrangle. The en- 
joyment of the party was unconstrained, the Queen taking 
a prominent part in the lively conversation, during which 
all kinds of topics were discussed, American and English, 
political and social. The Princess Beatrice is a brilliant 
conversationalist, and she was particularly interesting on 
many American social topics, which she thoroughly under- 
stood. 

Most of the ladies were all dressed in black with white 
trimmings, owing to the deaths recently of the Queen of 
Holland and the Duke of Ilesse-Darmstadt. The Queen 
was attired in a similar style, but her toilet comprised a 
very magnificent array of diamonds. 

After dinner, the Queen's party proceeded to the corridor, 
for the purpose of enabling the visitors to examine it more 
closely. Here they met another party from the Octagon, 
and a lively conversation ensued, during which Her Majesty 
talked with every person present. 

At about ten o'clock Her Majesty shook hands with her 
lady guests, bowed to the gentlemen, and retired, followed 
by other members of the royal family present. 

The guests then entered one of the magnificent draw- 
ing-rooms along the east front, where they were enter- 
tained by the Queen's private band. 

Refreshments having been served, General Grant and 



TOUR AROUND THK WORLD. 34I 

Minister Pierrepont played whist with the Duchesses of 
Wellington and Roxburgh, during which, of course, the 
gentlemen were beaten. Mr. Pierrepont played badly; so 
did the ex-President. 

At half-past eleven o'clock, the Americans retired to the 
rooms, which were in a different part of the palace. 

The following morning, General and Mrs. Grant were 
driven in the great park, in a carriage usually used by the 
Queen, at half-past ten. He, with Americans, accompanied 
by Mr.Ward Hunt, first Lord of the Admiralty, and Colonel 
Gardiner, went to the station and took the train for Bish- 
op's road (Paddington). 

A state concert was given at Buckingham Palace at 
night. General Grant and Mrs. Grant, the Emperor and 
Empress of Brazil, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the 
Duke and Duchess of Teck, Prince Christian and the 
Princess Helena, the Princess Louise and the Marquis of 
Lome and the Duke of Cambridge were present. 

On the 28th, Liverpool again honors General Grant 
with a grand banquet. Upwards of two hundred gentle- 
men, including representatives of all public bodies in the 
town, attended the banquet, which was held in the large 
ballroom of the town hall, and was a very grand affair. 
General Grant, who was in the uniform of a major general, 
was received with the greatest enthusiasm. He sat on 
the right of the Mayor. Next to General Grant sat Lieu- 
' tenant General Sir Henry de Bathe, commander of the 
forces in the northern district. 

The Mayor, proposing General Grant's health, spoke 
of the sterling qualities he possessed as a soldier, which had 
enabled him to restore peace and prosperity to his country. 

General Grant, responding, said the reception he encoun- 
tered in Great Britain was far beyond his expectation, and 
was such as any living person might well be proud of. He 
believed, however, that it was indicative of the friendly 



242 GENERAL U. 8. GRANt's 

relations which existed between two peoples, who were of 
one kindled blood and civilization. He hoped that friend- 
ship would continue to be cultivated and long endure. 
Referring to some remarks relative to the British army, he 
said there were as many soldiers now at Aldershott as in 
the regular army of the United States, which had a frontier 
of thousands of miles; but if necessary the United States 
could raise volunteers, and he and Mr. Fairchild were 
examples of what those volunteers were. 

On the 30th, General Grant attended a dinner given by 
A personal friend belonging to the American press, at 
Grosvenor Hotel. The company numbered forty, consist- 
ing chiefly of distinguished journalists of the London press, 
and authors. There were no speeches, the dinner being 
strictly a social and private one. 

On the 3d of July, a deputation of forty men, each 
representing a different trade, and representing altogether 
about one million English workingmen, waited upon Gen- 
eral Grant at Consul General Badeau's house, and presented 
him an address, welcoming him to England, and assuring 
him of their good wishes and deep regard for the welfare 
and progress of America, where British workmen had al- 
ways found a welcome. Impromptu speeches were then 
made by various members of the deputation, all of which 
were extremely cordial. 

General Grant replied as follows: " In the name of 
my country, I thank you for the address you have pre- 
sented to me. I feel it a great compliment paid my gov- 
ernment and one to me personally. Since my arrival on 
British soil I have received great attentions, which were 
Intended, I feel sure, in the same way, for my country. I 
have had ovations, free hand-shakings, presentations from 
different classes, from the governriient, from the controlling 
authorities of cities, and have been received in' the cities by 
tb« populace, but there has been no reception which I am 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



243 



prouder of than this to-day. I recognize the fact that what- 
ever there is of greatness in the United States, as indeed in any 
other country, is due to labor. The laborer is the author 
of all greatness and wealth. Without labor there would 
be no government, or no leading class, or nothing to pre- 
serve. With us, labor is regarded as highly respectable. 
When it is not so regarded, it is because man dishonors 
labor. We recognize that labor dishonors no man ; and, no 
matter what a man's occupation is, he is eligible to fill any 
post in the gift of the people; his occupation is not consid- 
ered in selecting, whether as a law maker or as an executor 
of the law. Now, gentlemen, in conclusion, all I can do 
is to renew my thanks for the address, and repeat what I 
have said before, that I have received nothing from any 
class since my arrival which has given me more pleasure." 

After the speech there was an informal exchange of 
courtesies, and the deputation then withdrew. 

In the evening, a banquet was given by the United 
Service Club. The Duke of Cambridge presided, having 
on his right General Grant and Lord Hampton, and on his 
left Minister Pierrepont and Lord Stratlinairn. Admiral 
Sir Charles Eden was the vice-president, having on his 
right Sir George^ Sartorios, and General Sir William 
Codington on his left. There was a very full attendance 
of guests. 

The Duke of Cambridge proposed the health of Gen- 
eral Grant. The General, in reply, alluded to the visit of 
the Prince of Wales to the United States. He said he 
knew from all his friends, as well as of his own personal 
knowledge, that His Royal Highness was received, as the 
son of England's Queen, with the sincerest respect. He 
thanked the company for their hospitality, which was one 
of the greatest honors he had received. 

On the 4th, a reception was given at the American 
Legation, which was a social event of a very high order, and 



244 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

very enjoyable throughout. It lasted from four until seven 
o'clock. Nearly all the Americans in London, estimated 
at over one thousand, called during that time. A large 
silk American flag hung over the entrance, and the interior 
was beautifully decorated with flowers. Mr. and Mrs. 
Pierrepont, General and Mrs. Grant, received all the guests. 
The reception closed with the singing of the " Star Span- 
gled Banner " by Miss Abel, an Americany 

On the 5th, General and Mrs. Grant, their son, and 
General Badeau, left London for the continent. They were 
accompanied to the station by a number of friends, and the 
parting was most enthusiastic. With the exception of 
brief stops at Tunbridge and Ashford, there was nothing 
worthy of note. 

A large crowd had collected at the Folkestone station 
when the train arrived, and as General Grant alighted he 
was loudly cheered. The Mayor's carriage was in waiting, 
and the party were driven to the town hall. Here the 
Mayor received them in his robes of office, surrounded by 
the members of the town council and a large number of 
citizens. As the clerk to the corporation read the address, 
the whole assemblage remained standing. The address 
recited the idea of honoring the General for his deeds in 
the battle-field, and concluded by expressing the wish that 
he might have a third term as President of the United 
States, and advancing the opinion that he would. In his 
reply the ex-President ignored this. He thanked them, as 
he said he did all their countrymen, for their kindness and 
courtesy. He believed it would be to the mutual interests 
of the two great English-speaking nations to maintain the 
friendly relations which now existed. England and 
America must lead in commerce and civilization. He also 
expressed his gratification at the settlement of the Alabama 
claims, which had been referred to. But he carefulljr 
avoided any allusion to politics. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 345 

The reception over, the party started at once for the pier, 
where the steamer Vittoria was waiting to convey them to 
Ostend, Belgium. Tlie American flag was seen flying 
among the shipping in tiie harhor, in honor of the town's 
guest. A great crowd had gathered again at the pier, and 
cheered loudly as the Vittoria left and passed out into the 
straits, the General bowing repeatedly from the bridge 
of the steamer. General Grant's stay in England had been 
made pleasant by honors which were extremely gratifying 
to Americans. His excellent taste in ignoring the toady- 
ism of the Englishman at Folkestone, shows how quickly 
the General could resent such a piece of impertinence, and 
that he. thought, correctly, that foreigners have no businew 
with our politics. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



ON THE CONTINENT. 

General Grant arrived at Brussels, Belgium, at six o'clock 
on the evening of July 6, and proceeded to the Bellevue Hotel. 
No official reception was given him, as it was understood 
that he was traveling incognito. Within an hour of his 
arrival, an aide-de-camp of King Leopold visited the Gen- 
eral, conveying from his royal master an invitation to din- 
ner, and placing at his disposal his aides and the carriage of 
state. In the evening General Grant dined with ex-Minis- 
ter Sanford. Several Belgian functionaries were in attend- 
ance at the board. 

On the Sth, General Grant dined with the King and 
royal family; all the high officials of state and foreign min- 
isters were present. King Leopold took Mrs. Grant to 
dinner, and the ex-President had the honor of escorting the 
Queen. On Sunday the King paid the General a visit, a 
step which is considered by the Belgians as being a great 
honor, as it is entirely out of the usual course. The Gen- 
eral and Mrs. Grant visited the King and Queen in the after- 
noon. On Monday morning all the foreign ministers in 
Brussels called on the General, previous to his departure. 
The King's aide-de-camp and members of the American 
legation accompanied the party to the railway station. 
During General Grant's stay he was treated with the great- 
est distinction. 

On the 9th, General Grant arrived at Cologne, and wa« 
received at the railway station by the American Consul, 

246 



TOUR AROUND THK WORLD. 



247 



President of Police, and the civil and military governors of 
the city, the Emperor having commanded that every atten- 
tion should be paid to their honored guest. At Cologne 
the General visited several churches and the cathedral, and 
mailc an excursion over the suspension bridge to Deutz, 
returning by the bridge of boats. In the evening he was 
serenaded at the Hotel du Nord, by a military band. 

On the loth, he left Cologne, and proceeded up the 
river Rhine, stopping at Bingen, Cobleiitz and Weisbaden, 
reaching Frankfort on the 12th, where a grand reception 
was given him at the Palmer-garten; the burgomaster 
presided, and one hundred and twenty guests were present. 
This included all the prominent officials of the town, offi- 
cers of the garrison, and leading citizens. The banquet 
hall was beautifully illuminated and decorated. After the 
toasts to the Emperor and President Hayes had been drunk 
and duly responded to, Henry Seligman, the banker, pro- 
posed the health of General Grant. Mr. Seligman, in giving 
the toast, made a few appropriate remarks, in the course of 
which he said that the General was universally honored and 
esteemed. General Grant, in reply, thanked the city of 
Frankfort for the confidence it placed in the Union during 
the late civil war. He concluded by drinking to the wel- 
fare and prosperity of the city. At the conclusion of this 
short speech, the General was given a magnilicent ovation. 
The guests rose to their feet and cheered lustily, and the 
crowd outside, numbering six thousand people, caught up 
the cheer, and were enthusiastic in their demonstrations of 
welcome. 

After the conclusion of the banquet, a grand ball was 
given, at which the elite of the city was present. Jesse 
Grant opened the ball with an American lady. 

On the following day, General Grant visited Hamburg, 
and held a reception, the chief burgomaster presenting the 
guests. A grand concert was given in the grounds of the 



24S GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

zoological garden afterward, which was attended by many 
thousands of people. 

On the 1 6th, General Grant spent several days in the 
immediate vicinity of Lucerne and Interlaken, Switzerland, 
whence he made excursions to the mountains in the vicin- 
ity. On the 24th, we find him at Berne, Switzerland, 
where he was received by the President of the Swiss Con- 
federation. On the 27th, he was at Geneva, where he laid 
the corner stone of a new American Protestant church in 
that city. Large crowds were present, and hundreds of 
American flags were displayed from the windows of citi- 
zens' houses. The authorities of the city, and also the 
English and American clergymen of Geneva, were present. 
Speeches complimentary to General Grant were made by 
M. Carteret, President of Geneva, and by several of the 
principal clergymen. General Grant said, in replying to 
the toast given to America, that the greatest honor he had 
received since landing in Europe was to be among Amer- 
icans, and in a republic, and in a city where so great a serv- 
ice had been rendered to the Americans by a Swiss citizen 
in the settlement of a question which might have produced 
war, but which left no rancor on either side. On the 30th, 
the General left Geneva for the North Italian lakes, thence 
to Ragatz, where he spent several days for rest and recuper- 
ation with his brother-in-law, M. J. Cramer, American 
Minister to Denmark. 

On the 5th of August, General Grant went to Pallanza, 
on Lake Maggiore; thence to Lake Como, stopping at 
Bellagio; thence to Varese. At each of these points he 
was received with great enthusiasm, his stay being one 
grand round of festivities, each city seeming to vie with the 
other in the hospitalities offered. At Lake Maggiore, ad- 
dresses were made by the Mayor and an officer who served 
under General Garibaldi. General Grant, in his reply, re- 
ferred to the exceeding hospitality he had received, praised 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 249 

the general conduct of the people so far as he had seen 

them, expressed his delight at the grand and lovely scenes 
that had met his eye at every turn since he had crossed the 
Alps, and concluded by saying, " There is one Italian w^hose 
hand 1 wish especially to shake, and that man is General 
Garibaldi." This allusion was greeted with a perfect storm 
of applause. 

On the 1 8th, the General visited Copenhagen, where 
he was received with distinguished honors, and at Antwerp 
a like cordial reception was given. 

On the 25th, he returned to England, having made a 
hurried and fatiguing continental tour, where he rested, 
previous to accepting the urgent and flattering invitation to 
visit Scotland. 

The fact that General Grant is named Ulysses, and 
that, in making " the grand tour," has suggested a classic 
comparison to the good-natured jokers of the obvious. It 
seems, too, as though the General had determined to keep 
up the character of the wandering king of Ithaca; for the 
heavy English journals, after slowly lifting their eyebrows 
to the point of astonishment that Ulysses the Silent could 
speak at all, have found the word " wise " to apply to what 
he did utter. Indeed, one of them believed that the term 
silent was ironical, and as proof quoted from " his remark- 
able speech " that sentence about fighting it out on a certain 
line if it took all summer. Perhaps if we use a society 
phrase, and say that General Grant has been " happy" in his 
recent after-dinner utterances, we shall come nearer the 
mark. When there are certain unpleasant topics that might 
be touched on, it is " happy " to avoid them at such times; 
and when the speaker who ignores them plunges into plati- 
tudes about " common blood and kindred peoples," he may 
be called felicitous when he is only politely adroit. In 
England, for instance, the General kept clear of blockade 
runners and Confederate scrip, and, when the Alabama was 



250 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

forced before him, only touched on that piratical craft as a 
sort of blessing in disguise to both peoples. On the other 
hand, he was overwhelmingly unctuous in calling the En- 
glish our blood relations, making the glasses dance on the 
festive board with the thunderous applause he evoked from 
noble lords and lofty commoners. 

In Frankfort, however, he had a chance to say a 
" happy" thing, and he said it. In Frankfort they bought 
our bonds, when it was vital to the nation that our securi- 
ties should find purchasers. To be sure, they made a good 
thing of it, for they bought them cheap; but England and 
poor generals had cheapened them. Hence it was a " hap- 
py" thing for the soldier who brought our "boys" and our 
bonds "out of the wilderness" — the former to Richmond, 
and the latter to par and beyond — to tell the Frankforters 
how well they had stood by the Union in its darkest days. 
There was much good German blood spilled in the cause 
of the Union, so that his hearers were aware that the Gen- 
eral referred to heart-strings as well as purse-strings in his 
compliment to them. So, also, at Geneva, his compliment 
to the representative whose "casting vote" turned the 
scales in the Geneva award was not forgotten; in fact, the 
General seemed to be in a " happy " vein, complimenting 
without stint. This change, or rather drawing out of Gen- 
eral Grant's thoughts, will surprise none more than his inti- 
mate friends, who have known him only hy works, not 
words. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



RETURN TO GREAT BRITAIN. 

The freedom of the city of Edinburgh was presented to 
General Grant on the 31st of August. He left London in 
a Pullman car. On the way from London — four hundred 
miles — the scenery was exceedingly attractive. All through 
England and in the south of Scotland, the country is a 
perfect garden, and only when you get among the chilly 
hills, valleys and crags of northern Scotland, do you feel 
that you are getting into the open country. What a pity 
that there are no forests to cover these beautiful and historic 
mountains, where in centuries gone by the horns of the 
leaders summoned the clans to bloody work! 

The reception given to General Grant as each station 
was reached, was whole-souled and fully meant hospitality. 
At Carlisle — the dinner stopping-place — at Galashiels, Mel- 
rose, Harwick, and a number of smaller towns in Scotland, 
there were expressions of joy and enthusiasm that reminded 
one of the railroad receptions that General Grant gets at the 
towns of Illinois and Ohio. It seemed as though they knew 
him perfectly well — his face, his history, etc. — for they 
recognized him everywhere, and demanded as much hand- 
shaking as could be done in the limited time the train was 
to stay. Then the cheers and hurrahs always sounded in 
the distance above the whistle of the locomotive. Mrs. 
Grant was quite cheerful and talkative. She looked very 
much better than when she left Washington, though she 

said she was always in good health there. Washington 

251 



252 GENERAL U. S. GRANt'S 

has a slightly malarial atmosphere, and the complexion of a 
Washingtonian changes for the better after a trip to 
Europe. She enjoyed her European trip. She said her 
lines of association there had always fallen in pleasant 
places, and that she had been greatly pleased with every 
acquaintance she made in Europe. Mrs. Grant is a quiet, 
rather reserved lady, but one who impresses her associates 
by her kind nature, lier broad views upon the subject under 
discussion, be it commonplace or important, and her sensible 
ideas of life. She sprang fiom one of the best families of 
the Mississippi Valley, well known and highly respected 
since a hundred years and more ago, and her early training 
was not lost. All the ladies who met her and became her 
acquaintances at the White House, loved her, from first to 
last. 

The freedom of the city of Edinburgh was presented 
to ex-President Grant by Lord Provost Sir James Falshaw, 
in Free Assembly Hall, two thousand persons being pres- 
ent. In reply to the Lord Provost's speech, General Grant 
said: 

" I am so filled with emotion that I scarcely know how 
to thank you for the honor conferred upon me by making 
me a burgess of this ancient city of Edinburgh. I feel 
that it is a great compliment to me and to my country. 
Had I the proper eloquence, I might dwell somewhat on 
the history of the great men you have produced, on the 
numerous citizens of this city and of Scotland who have 
gone to America, and the record they have made. We are 
proud of Scotchmen as citizens of America. They make 
good citizens of our country, and they find it profitable to 
themselves. I again thank you for the honor conferred 
upon me." 

On September 1st, General Grant and party visited Tay 
Bridge. One of the most striking features of the view 
obtained from the deck of the little steamer is that of the 



TOUR AROUND THH WORLD. 255 

bridge itself, which, as seen from some little distance, com- 
bines massiveness with airiness of structure, impressing one 
even more than the almost fairy-like span of the Menai 
tubular bridge, or the larger and equally reputed, though 
perhaps less elegant, viaduct across the Hollandsche Diep. 

A few minutes' sailing brought the party to Wormi 
Pier, on the south side of the river, and immediately under 
the first span of Mr. Bouch's grand structure. At this 
place Admiral Maitland Dougal, Mr. Matthew McDougal, 
United States Consul at Dundee, and ex-Provost Ewan, 
Dundee, were in waiting to do honor to the General, not to 
speak of a numerous concourse of the public, comprising 
seemingly most of the workmen connected with the bridge, 
as well as many persons from the neighboring villages. 
After landing. General Grant, Mrs. Grant and some others 
were condficted to one of the rooms in the contractor's 
offices, where Mr. Grothe, the resident engineer, explained, 
with the aid of models and diagrams, the manner in which 
the large piers of the bridge were constructed, mentioning 
first that the bridge was designed on what is known as the 
lattice girder principle, and then stating that the piers were 
built on shore, floated out between two barges to the de- 
sired position m the river, sunk to a suitable foundation, and 
then brought up to high water mark. By means of an- 
other working model, the manner in which the girders were 
transported from the shore was illustrated, it being shown 
that the tide was the motive power by which masses of 
iron work weighing as much as two hundred tons were 
moved. The method by which these girders were raised 
from the river to the required height of eighty-eight feet 
above high water mark, through the agency of hydraulic 
apparatus, was also explained. 

Describing the work generally, Mr. Grothe said there 
were in all eighty-five spans, thirteen of which, over the 
navigable part of the river, were each two hundred and 



256 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

forty -five feet in length, and carried nearly two hundred 
tons weight, while the smaller ones on either side of the 
channel were from sixty-seven to one hundred and forty- 
five feet long. It was further stated that considerable 
progress had been made with the works during the present 
season, and especially during the last month, nine spans of 
an aggregate weight of more than nine hundred tons hav- 
ing been lifted and fixed in their places within the latter 
period — a feat which has been accomplished by almost in- 
cessant work. In concluding his remarks, Mr. Grothe 
stated that in the winter the shortness of the day had of 
course been found very much against the progress of the 
work, and that to get over this difliculty there were used 
powerful electric lights, the currents for which were gener- 
ated by magneto-electric machines driven by a four-horse- 
power engine. It was added that the bridge was nearly 
completed, all the spans up forming a continuous line, and 
the fixing of timber and laying of rails on the top at pres- 
ent actively carried on. 

On the 7th September, General Grant was presented with 
the freedom of the city of Wick, and, in accepting, said : 
" During the eight years of my Presidency it was my only 
hope, which I am glad to say was realized, that all differ- 
ences between the two nations should be healed in a manner 
honorable to both. In my desire for that result it was my 
aim to do what was right, irrespective of any other consid- 
eration whatever. During all the negotiations, I felt the 
importance of maintaining friendly relations between the 
great English speaking peoples, which I believe to be essen- 
tial to the maintenance of peace and principle throughout 
the world." 

On the 8th, at Inverness, General Grant was presented 
with the freedom of the city, and a great reception given 
him. 

Ex-President Grant received the freedom of the city of 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



'57 



Glasgow on the 13th. Replying to the address of the Lord 
Provost, he said that he would ever remember the day, and 
when back in America would refer with pride to his visit to 
Glasgow. He was so much a citizen of Scotland that it 
would be a serious question where he would vote. He 
thanked the Lord Provost for his kind words and the audi- 
ence for its welcome. The parchment was contained in a 
gold casket. The ceremony was witnessed by a large crowd, 
and the General was enthusiastically cheered. A banquet in 
his honor was given in the evening, but was of a private 
character. 

The reception of General Grant in Scotland was hearty 
and continuously enthusiastic. There was not a day since 
the General came to Scotland that he was not overwhelmed 
with kindnesses. 

The enthusiasm of the Scotch people and the great atten- 
tion shown to General Grant have a double significance. 
The people of Scotland sympathized with the North during the 
civil war, and always rejoiced when Grant or his generals 
won a victory. They have been curious to see the great man 
they have talked so much about, and take great pride in the 
fact that he is of Scotch descent. Hence the magnificent 
ovations at Edinburgh, Dundee, Melrose, Ayr, Glasgow, 
the Trossachs, and all the places at which he stopped. 

The finest and most enthusiastic reception was given at 
Glasgow. An immense hall, accommodating several thou- 
sand persons, was, all but places for four hundred specially 
invited guests, thrown open to the public. The cheering 
was so general and continuous that the ceremonies could 
only with difficulty be heard. At night the grand banquet 
at corporation hall was a splendid affair, embracing in the 
menu the viands and wines that make the best dinner Scot- 
land could furnish. Even tropical delicacies were in profu- 
sion, and the wines were exceptionally fine and m great vari* 



258 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

ety. Several toasts were given, and speeches followed up to 
eleven o'clock. 

At this banquet the Lord Provost announced that there 
were no reporters present, and the editors there were 
expected to let the speeches pass without comment, in order 
that everybody could feel perfectly free in speaking. General 
Grant, on this account, probably, made the longest speech of 
his life, and the Lord Provost was finally, at the end of the 
feast, persuaded to yield his position against newspaper enter- 
prise. 

The speech of General Grant was brought about by a 
speech of Mr. Anderson, M. P., of Glasgow, wherein he 
charged, turning to General Grant, that the United States 
had gained a victory over Great Britain in the creation of the 
Geneva arbitration. However, he said. Great Britain had 
agreed to the Washington treaty, and while disappointed 
with the result at Geneva, had stood manfully by it. In view 
of this, and the fact that the United States had completed 
the distribution of the award, and had some $8,000,000 left 
after all claims had been satisfied, he would be pleased to see 
the government return that amount in the interests of con- 
cord and thorough amity. This was said in a half earnest, 
half joking way, but was met with "hear, hear," all along 
the tables. 

General Grant in reply said that he had a great deal 
to do with the negotiations concerning the Washington 
treaty, and that he had always felt that our government had 
yielded too much to Great Britain in the matter. He was 
determined, however, from the first, that, if possible, the 
experiment of peaceful arbitration should prevail. It was 
his ambition to live to see all national disputes settled in 
this way. " I am called a man of war," said he, " but I 
never was a man of war. Though I entered the army at 
an early age, I got out of it whenever I found a chance to 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 359 

do SO creditably. I was always a rran of peace, and I shall 
always continue of that mind. Though I may not live to 
see the general settlement of national disputes by arbitra- 
tion, it will not be very many years before that system of 
settlement will be adopted, and the immense standing 
armies that are depressing Europe by their great expense 
will be disbanded, and the arts of war almost forgotten in the 
general devotion of the people to the development of peace- 
ful industries. I want to see, and I believe I will. Great 
Britain, the United States and Canada joined with com- 
mon purpose in the advance of civilization, an invincible 
community of English-speaking nations that all the world 
beside could not conquer." The General went on in this 
vein for some time, and finally again touched the Alabama- 
claims question. He said : " There was one point in con- 
nection with that matter that I was glad we yielded — that 
was the indirect damage claim. I was always opposed to 
it, because I feared the future consequences of such a 
demand. In any future arbitration we would have been 
placed at a great disadvantage by its allowance. After 
that was settled we made our other demands, you made 
yours. It was a long time before the Joint High Commis- 
sion came together, but each side yielded here a bit and 
there a bit, until about as good a treaty as we could expect 
to get was completed. Mr. Anderson says many of the 
people of Great Britain believe we got the best of the 
bargain. I can assure you that we did not come out of the 
discussion as much benefited as we should have been. 
Many of our people were quite incensed, and fought the 
confirmation of the treaty, claiming that its terms were not 
broad enough to cover the losses of local interests, but a 
very large majority determined to stand by it in the inter- 
ests of peace and manly dealing with friends. We yielded 
more than we intended to yield, but had gone so far into 
the business of doing what we advocated that nine-tenth* 



26o GENERAL V. S. GRANT's 

of our people had no desire to recede. We did not want 
war, or even a new arbitration. We had been satisfied 
with the former, and the latter meant delay. We wanted 
the question settled peacefully, at once and forever. As to 
the $8,000,000 surplus Mr. Anderson mentions, I will 
explain that briefly. After the $15,500,000 awarded at 
Geneva was paid by Great Britain, the matter of its dis- 
tribution was presented to Congress. It became necessary 
to distribute it under the terms of the treaty, and it was 
found that if the insurance companies which had received 
war premiums were admitted to participation in the suin, it 
would not be large enough to go argund. So they and 
other parties were excluded. Congress will legislate 
further in the matter, and the money will be distributed to 
rightful claimants, so that it will not be necessary to discuss 
the question of returning it to Great Britain." The 
General explained the workings of the system of dis- 
tributing the money, details of fact that are familiar to all 
Americans. We cannot reproduce his speech in full, because 
lead pencils and note books were prohibited. But the 
above, with expressive remarks touching his magnificent 
receptions in Scotland, and the renewed expressions of good 
feeling between Great Britain and the United States, is his 
speech in carefully prepared substance. At the end of it, 
the entire party, of perhaps two hundred persons, ap- 
plauded to the echo, and in this applause Mr. Anderson 
was one of the most ardent participants. 

General Grant's visit to Newcastle-on-Tyne, on the 
2 1st, was the occasion of a inost enthusiastic and remarkable 
demonstration. During the day the visitors visited the 
Exchange and other places of interest in Newcastle. 
There were numerous banners along the route, and large 
crowds of spectators. In the Exchange, General Grant 
received an address from the Chamber of Commerce, and, 
replying, thanked the large and enthusiastic audience for its 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 261 

kind reception, which was highly gratifying to him and the 
American people, who would accept it as a token of friend- 
ship between the two nations — he could not say two peo- 
ples, for they were really one, having a common destiny, 
which would be brilliant in proportion to their friendship. 
He referred to the honorable settlement of all differences 
between England and America, and said they ought not 
only keep peace with each other, but with all the world, 
and by their example stop the wars which are now devasta- 
ting Europe. The speech was loudly cheered. General 
Grant and the corporation then proceeded down the Tyne 
in a steamer, which was saluted with guns from almost 
every factory on the banks, every available spot on which 
was crowded with people. General Grant stood on the 
bridge of the steamer during the greater part of the voyage, 
bowing in response to repeated cheers. The steamer 
stopped at Jarrow and Tynemouth, at both of which places 
the municipal authorities presented most cordial addresses. 
The ceremony was witnessed by large and enthusiastic 
crowds. General Grant made suitable replies, of similar 
tenor to his Newcastle speech. At Tynemouth he said he 
had that day seen one hundred and fifty thousand people 
leave their homes and occupations to manifest friendship 
to America. The ex-President held a reception at New- 
castle in the evening. 

A great demonstration of the workmen of Northum- 
berland and Durham was held on the town moor of New- 
castle in honor of General Grant. Twenty-two trade 
societies participated in a procession, which occupied twenty 
minutes in passing a given point. The number of persons 
present on the moor was estimated at from forty to fifty 
thousand. The demonstration had no precedent since 
the great political meetings at the time of the Reform 
Agitation. Mr. Thomas Burt, member of Parliament for 
Morpeth, presented an eulogistic address to General Grant, 



262 GENERAi. xj. a. GRANT's 

who said he thanked the workingmen for their very wel- 
come address, and thought this reception was the most 
honorable he could meet with. Alluding to what Mr. 
Burt had said concerning the late civil war, General Grant 
declared he had always been an advocate of peace, but w^hen 
war was declared he went to the war for the cause which 
he believed to be right, and fought to the best of his ability 
to secure peace and safety to the nation. In regard to the 
relations between America and England, the General said 
that friendship now existed between the two countries, 
which he fully believed was increasing, and which would, 
in common with industry and civilization, increase in the 
future. 

On the same day the Mayor and Town Council of 
Gateshead presented the ex-President with a congratulatory 
address. General Grant expressed pleasure at his enthusi- 
astic reception in all the towns in the North of England, 
and said he was glad the good feeling between England 
and America was warmer to-day than it had ever been. 
A banquet was given in honor of General Grant in the 
evening, by the Mayor of Newcastle. In response to a 
toast to his health, the General said his reception in New- 
castle exceeded anything he had expected, and had been 
the warmest and best he had had or could have had. 

General Grant was met at Sunderland railway station 
by the Mayor and Messrs. Gourley and Burt, membei-s of 
Parliament. The day was observed as almost a general 
holiday. Nearly ten thousand members of trade and 
friendly societies marched in procession. General Grant 
was present at the laying of the foundation stone of the 
library and museum. Replying to an address of the friendly 
and trade societies. General Grant said he would simply 
renew what he had said relative to the way in which labor 
was regarded In the United States, and the way in which 
he personally regarded it, 



TOUR AROUND THK WORLD. 26^ 

At Leamington, Warwick, a grand reception was given 
General Grant, and participated in by the Mayor and lead- 
ing citizens. 

On arriving at Sheffield, on the 26th, General Grant 
was received at the railway station by the Mayor and cor- 
poration. A procession then formed to the Cutlers' Hall, 
where congratulatory addresses were presented by the Cor- 
porated Cutlers' Company and the Chamber of Commerce, 
to which General Grant briefly replied, referred to the 
American tariff, and reminded his hearers that the United 
States had to raise money to pay off the great debt incurred 
by the war. The revenue from imports was regarded solely 
as the means of attaining that end. If the United States 
were to abolish the revenue from imports, foreign bond- 
holders would very soon cry out when their interest was 
not forthcoming. He added : "We get along well enough 
with the payment of our debt, and will compete with you 
in your manufactures in the markets of the world. The 
more of your merchants and mechanics that goto America, 
the better. Nothing pleases us more than the immigration 
of the industry and intelligence of this community. We 
have room for all, and will try to treat you as you have 
treated me to-day." The General was loudly cheered. 

The following evening a grand banquet was given in 
his honor by the Mayor and corporation of Sheffield. The 
proceedings were most enthusiastic and cordial. 

General Grant arrived at Stratford-on-Avon on the 28th, 
and met with a brilliant reception. His visit was made the 
occasion of a festival, in which the whole town took part. 
The houses were decorated with flags, among which the 
American colors were conspicuous. The stars and stripes 
were displayed from the Town Hall and the Mayor's resi- 
dence. The Mayor and members of the corporation re- 
ceived the General and Mrs. Grant, who were accompanied 



26-J GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

by General Badeau, at the railway station, and escorted 
them to Shakespeare's birthplace. Thence the party pro- 
ceeded to the Museum, the church, Anne Hathaway's cot- 
tage, and other places of inteiest. 

The distinguished visitors were subsequently entertained 
at a public lunch in the Town Hall. A toast to the health 
of General Grant was proposed and drank with cheers, 
and he was presented with a very cordial address, enclosed 
in a casket made from the wood of the mulberry tree 
planted by Shakespeare. The General, replying to the 
toast, spoke most heartily of the welcome given him. He 
declared it would have been impossible for him to leave 
England without visiting the birthplace and home of 
Shakespeare. He pointed to the numerous American 
Shakespearian societies as proof of the honor paid the poet 
in the United States. 

General Grant and wife spent several days visiting their 
daughter, Mrs. Sartoris, at Southampton. 

On the 6th October, the corporation of the city received 
him, presenting a complimentary address. At Torquay, 
Mr. Alfred D. Jessup, of Philadelphia, gave a brilliant re- 
ception, the leading residents and noblemen of Torquay 
and vicinity being present. 

On the 1 6th, General Grant and party visited Birming- 
ham. On their arrival, they were received by the Mayor, 
and driven to the Town Hall, where the Town Council, a 
deputation of workingmen, and the Peace Society, pre- 
sented the General with addresses, which he briefly ac- 
knowledged. He was the guest of Mr. Chamberlain, 
M. P. The following evening General Grant was enter- 
tained at a banquet, the Mayor presiding. After the health 
of the Queen was drank, the Mayor proposed that of the 
President of the United States, as a potentate all should 
liouor. This was received with due honor by tlie cunipauy. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 265 

Mr. Chamberlain, M. P., then proposed the heahh of ex- 
President Grant in a happy speech, complimentar)' to the 
distinguished guest and his countrymen. 

General Grant, in response, referring to the last speak- 
er's allusion to the prompt disbandment of the army after 
the civil war, said: " We Americans claim so much per- 
sonal independence and general intelligence that I do not 
believe it possible for one man to assume any more author- 
ity than the constitution and laws give him." As to the re- 
marks that had been made as to the benefits which would 
accrue to America by the establishment of free trade, the 
General said he had a kind of recollection that England 
herself had a protective tariff until her manufactures were 
established. American manufactures were rapidly pro- 
gressing, and America was thus becoming a great free 
trade nation. [Laughter.] The General then warmly 
thanked the company for the reception they had given 
him. 

General Grant found the labor of accepting the hospi- 
tality of his English friends more arduous than the cares 
of State. It had, in fact, become so great a tax upon his 
health that from the first of October he had determined to 
retire to private life, and that the first thing he would do 
would be to avail himself of the courtesy extended by the 
Secretary of the Navy, to visit the Mediterranean in one 
of the vessels of the European squadron, and spend some 
time in the waters of Italy. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



GRANT IN PARIS. 

Ex-President Grant, accompanied by his wife and son, 
left London for Paris on the morning of October 24, 1877. 
On the arrival of the General and party at the railway sta- 
tion in Charing Cross, to take the train for Folkestone, he 
was greeted by a large crowd of Americans and English- 
men, who gave him a hearty cheer as he stepped out of his 
citrriage. A special train was in waiting to convey the dis- 
tinguished party. The large space in front of the hotel 
and station, extending through to Trafalgar square, was 
filled with vehicles and pedestrians. After considerable 
hand-shaking in the waiting-room, and lively greetings on 
the platform. Sir Edward Watkin, the chairman of the 
Southeastern Railway Company, being in attendance, he 
and his guests boarded the train, which moved off precisely 
at ten o'clock. After a pleasant run of about two hours 
the train arrived at Folkestone, where General Grant was 
met at the wharf by the Mayor and members of the Com- 
mon Council; and fully two thousand of the inhabitants oi 
this old Kentish town welcomed the ex-President with 
loud cheers. The General at once went on board the spe- 
cial yacht Victoria, accompanied by the Herald correspond- 
ent. Sergeant Gazelee, and one or two other officials, these 
being the only guests. As the trim-looking yacht, with 
the American flag flying at its fore, left the chalk cliflfs of 
old England, the General stood upon the bridge and waved 
hi* hat, responsive to the cheers and adieus from the shore. 

266 



TOUR AROUND THH WORI^D. 



.67 



The sea was calm, with only a <;enile swell, and a fine 
summer yachtincr breeze prevailed. The General paced 
the deck, enjoying his cigar and studying the interesting 
points and scenery along the majestic cliffs on the south- 
eastern coast, where William the Conquerer landed and 
fought the battle of Hastings. On nearing the French 
coast he beheld the sunny hills and shores of the memora- 
ble site of Napoleon's Boulogne camp, where the Auster- 
litz army so long prepared for the invasion of England. 

The Victoria arrived at the Boulogne wharf at a quar- 
ter to two o'clock. A large crowd of Frenchmen, who had 
been advised of the arrival oi\he grand guerrier Americain^ 
was in attendance, and received the guests with a hearty greet- 
ing. On entering the special train, the sub-Prefect, of the 
Department met and was mtroduced to the General. In 
the name of the Marshal-President and of the French peo- 
ple, he welcomed him to the shores of France. 

The General expressed his warm acknowledgments, 
saying he had long cherished the wish to visit France, and 
he was delighted with the present opportunity. M. Hoguet- 
Grandsire, the Senator representing the Department of the 
Pas de Calais, also bade him welcome in a brief address, 
full of sympathy and kindly feeling. 

After a long delay, somewhat in contrast to the prompt- 
ness of the English railroads, the train started for Paris. 
On the way the General studied closely the scenery of the 
lovely country along the route, noted the principal indus- 
trial sections, and especially observed the wonderful agri- 
cultural resources of the country. 

General Grant spoke a great deal about his reception 
in England; that it had been unvarying in warmth, and, as 
to the hospitality of the people there, nothing could be 
more kind, considerate and gracious. Everywhere he had 
rxpcvienced, both in official and private circles, courte«y 



268 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

and respect. At Amiens General Grant quietly partook oi 
a dish of cousomme. 

As the train neared Paris the moon rose, and the Gen- 
eral curiously studied the prominent features of the great 
French capital. They reached the station at a quarter to 
eight o'clock. Generals Noyes and Torbert entered the 
car, accompanied by the Marquis d'Abzac, first Aide-de- 
Camp of the Marshal-President, the official whose duty it 
was to introduce ambassadors. 

In the name of the President of the French Republic, 
the Aide-de-Camp tendered General Grant a cordial wel- 
come. In reply, the General thanked the Marshal, saying 
he anticipated great pleasure and interest from his visit to 
France. Generals Noyes and Torbert greeted him warmly. 
The party had borne the journey splendidly, none of them 
showing the least fatigue. 

Among the Americans awaiting the arrival of General 
Grant at the station, in the company of the Minister, were 
General Meredith Read, from Greece; ex-Minister Part- 
ridge, Admiral Worden, the bankers Seligman, Winthrop 
and Munroe; Dr. Johnson, Dr. Warren, and the representa- 
tives of the leading New York journals. 

A richly carpeted salon was prepared at the station for 
the reception of the distinguished party. The ladies of tlie 
part}-, conducted by General Torbert, passed through this 
salon on their way to the carriages. A splendid bouquet 
was presented to Mrs. Grant by a French journalist on the 
way. General Grant followed, leaning on the arm of Min- 
ister Noyes. As soon as he appeared in the crowded salon^ 
several rounds of hearty cheers were given, and a number 
of people were presented to him. 

The party then entered carriages, in company w^ith 
General Noyes and the Marshal's Aide-de-Camp and intro- 
ducer of ambassadors. They drove to the Hotel Bristol, 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 369 

where a handsome suite of rooms had been engaged for 
them. After a quiet dinner, General Grant smoked a cigar 
and retired early. 

The following morning opened dismally. Rain fell in 
tor»ents, and there seemed no prospect of its cessation. 
During the morning General Grant called upon his bank- 
ers, Messrs. Drexel, Harjes & Co. Upon his return, a mul- 
titude of visitors, including diplomatists, ambassadors and 
Americans, began to arrive, and continued to come until 
noon. The most eminent men of France were among the 
callers. At two o'clock, General Grant, wife and son, with 
Minister Noyes, drove to the Elysee, through a pouring 
rain. President MacMahon, the Duchess of Magenta, and 
the Duke Decazes, received the General most cordially- 
The Duchess did everything in her power to render the 
occasion agreeable. 

General Grant wore plain evening dress, calling upon 
the official head of the French people simply as any Amer- 
ican citizen, properly introduced, might. 

President MacMahon said that he was truly glad to 
welcome so eminent a soldier and citizen to France. 

In brief, the ex-President of the United States replied 
that the opportunity of expressing to the chief magistrate 
of France the friendly sentiments entertained throughout 
the length and breadth of America toward the French 
people was equally pleasing to him. 

The interview was entirely informal and exceedingly 
corilial. President MacMahon extended and General Grant 
accepted an invitation to dine at the Elysee on the Thurs- 
day following. 

At four o'clock the committee of resident Americans 
called to invite General Grant and family to a grand ban- 
quet to be given in his honor by the American residents of 
Paris, upon any date the General might see fit to appoint. 
General Grant named November 6, thanking the commit- 



370 



GENERAL U. S. GRANt'S 



tee for the honor conferred upon him by his own country- 
men in a foreign land. Much agreeable conversation fol- 
lowed. 

In the evening General Grant, accompanied by a per- 
sonal friend, took a long walk around the Tuilleries, Palais 
Royal, Place de la Concord and the Boulevards, for two 
hours, seeing Paris by gaslight. 

This unanimity of the American residents in Paris, in 
assisting to make his stay a pleasant one, was one of the 
most pleasing incidents of the General's tour, and the cour- 
teous reception accorded by President MacMahon was not 
so much formality as it was an expression of the kindly 
feelings that exist between the French nation and our own, 
and will be regarded as an evidence that the century-old 
ties that bind the two nations together are not weakened 
by time or any alterations of the political conditions that 
have arisen, or are likely to arise, in either country. 

On the 27th, General Grant visited the Herald Bureau, 
remaining an hour or more. He then went to the studio of 
Mr. Healy, the American artist, and gave a sitting for a 
portrait; afterwards strolled about Montmartre and climbed 
the hill, which affords a fine view of Paris. In the even- 
ing he was honored by visits from several distinguished 
people, including the Comte de Paris, head of the Orleans 
family, and the Duchess of Magenta, wife of the Marshal- 
President. 

If being much feted brings much pleasure, General 
Grant must have been in a happy frame of mind. After the 
stately round of London festivities, which were led off by 
the magnificent reception at Minister Pierrepont's; after 
becoming a citizen of some twenty-five Scotch burghs; 
after going through Belgium, and dining with kings and 
such; after the return to England, which led to the eating 
of dinners with some twenty-five fine old English corpora- 
tions, the imperturbable ex- President took his way to 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 3^1 

Paris. He who would fight anything out on a certain line, 
if it took -him all the four seasons, is not the man you can 
frighten with a string of long dinners. He has the confi- 
dence in himself that says, I can eat my way through all 
the marshals and marquises, from Finistere to the Alps. 
His Scotch campaign, no less than his English, proved 
what broadsides of hospitality he can safely withstand. 

On the 29th, Minister Noyes gave a grand banquet and 
reception to General Grant. The banquet was a superb 
effort of culinary skill, which can work such gastronomic 
wonders when given carte blanche and where there is a 
cellar of monte christo to draw upon. President MacMa- 
hon had been invited, but declined on the ground of having 
recently refused to be present at several diplomatic dinners. 
He promised to be present at the reception in the evening. 
Twenty -two guests were present at the table : General 
and Mrs. Grant; Minister and Mrs. Noyes; Mme. Ber- 
thaut; M. Caillaux, Minister of Finance; M. Brunet, 
Minister of Public Instruction; M. Voisin, Prefect of 
Police; General Berthaut, Minister of War; M. Paris, 
Minister of Public Works; General Marquis d' Abzac, 
Aid-de-Camp to the President; Due de Broglie, President 
of the Council, Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice; 
Miss Lincoln; Jesse R. Grant; M. Duval, Prefect of the 
Seine; M. De Fourtou, Minister of the Interior; Viscounte 
de Meaux, Minister of Commerce; Miss Stevens; Duchess 
Decazes; M. Mollard, Introducer of Ambassadors; Lieu- 
tenant de la Panouse, Staff Officer of the Marshal; and 
M. Vignaux, Assistant Secretary of Legation. The fol- 
lowing was the menu: 

MENU. 

POTAGES. 

Tortue a I'Anglaise. 
Consomme a la Sevigne. 

HORS D'cEUVRES. 

Bouchees Agnes Sorel. 

RELEVE. 

Turbot, sauce crerne,^t crevettes. 



PUNCH. 

Rose, 

ROTIS. 

Faisans truffes. 
Cailles sur croustades. 

ENTREMETS. 

Pate de foie gras de Strasbourg. 

Salade Parisienne. 

Crepes a la Bordelaise. 

Timbales d'ananas, Pompadour. 

Gateaux noisettes. 

DESSERT. 

VINS. 

Vieux Madere. 

Chateau d'Yquem, creme 1864. 

Chateau Lafitte, 1864. 

Chateau Margaux, 1869. 

Johannisberg, Metternich's, 1857. 

Clos Vougeot, 1858. 

Romance Conti, 1865. 

Champagne Dry Monopole, 1870. 

Amontillado. 

Vieux Port, vintage 1858. 

Cognac, 1844. 

Kirschwasser. Anisette. Chartreuse. 

Curacoa. 

The banquet passed off without any special incident 
jvorthy of note, that charming flow of polite and witty, or, 
at least, pleasantly pointed conversation which character- 
izes French dinners, kept time to the melody of the repast 
itself. There was no English reserve to thaw — the 
French and the American entendent without difficulty, and 
hence they make the best of neighbors around the snowy 
damask. 

At about nine o'clock the general reception began. A 
heavy rain had been falling all the afternoon and evening. 
It, of course, had no deterrent effect on the invited. It was 
not long before the salons were filled with guests. The 
guests were received by General Grant, Mrs. Grant and 

27- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 273 

their son, General and Mrs. Noyes, Consul-Gener;il Tor- 
bert, and Secretary Vignaux making the introductions. 
Mrs. Grant was dressed in a costume of heavy white satin, 
Mrs. Noyes appeared in a similar dress, General Grant 
and Minister Noyes wore plain evening dress, and General 
Torbert appearing in the full uniform of a major-general. 

The rooms, as the guests arrived, became perfect gar- 
dens of lovely colors. Brilliant uniforms, diplomatic orders 
and decorations, mingling with the sheen of silks and satins, 
made up a wonderful picture. Marshal MacMahon arrived 
early. He wore a plain evening dress, with the ribbon of 
the Legion, and a breast covered with orders. The Mar- 
shal stood for nearly an hour beside General Grant, join- 
ing in the conversation and receiving congratulations. As 
the two renowned soldiers stood side by side, one could not 
help contrasting them. Marshal MacMahon's ruddy, 
honest, Celtic face, white moustache and white hair, recalled 
the poet's figure of "a rose in snow"; Grant, calm, mas- 
sive and reserved, wore the same imperturbable face so 
well known at home. MacMahon seemed all nerve and 
restlessness; Grant looked all patience and repose. The 
contrast in person was indeed remarkable. Although each 
had come to the Presidency of a powerful republic over 
the same red road, the passion of arms commanding two 
great nations had led each to choose its foremost soldier as 
executive head. One had laid down his power at the feet 
of the people who conferred it. The other, a few months 
later, after a long and severe struggle with the hot and 
ungovernable radicals, was forced to give way to one 
more in sympathy with the dominant party. Meantime two 
great warlike careers touched in friendship in the parlors of 
Minister Noyes. 

The reception drew together the largest assembly of the 
American colony known in years, and they compared 



2 74 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



favorably with the many European nations represented 
there. 

The refreshment tables were exquisitely arranged and 
well patronized, which is just how such a host as General 
Noyes would desire to have his sumptuous hospitality 
appreciated. 

'On the 31st, General Grant visited the Palais d' Indus- 
trie, and the works where the statue of " Liberty" for New 
York harbor is being constructed. The sculptor, M. Bar- 
tholdi, presented him with a miniature model of the statue. 
In the evening the General attended the opera, where he 
was enthusiastically received by the audience, and treated 
with great ceremony by the officials. 

On November i. Marshal MacMahon gave a dinner at the 
Elysee, in honor of General Grant. Cabinet and Marshal's 
military household and prominent French and American 
residents were present. The banquet was a very brilliant 
and animated affair. After dinner, General Grant and Pres-. 
ident* MacMahon had a long conversation in the smoking- 
room. The Marshal invited General Grant to breakfast 
with him, as a friend, and also to witness some of the sit- 
tino-s of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, which the 
General accepted, and was much pleased with his cordial 
reception. 

If Paris is the place where good Ameiicans go after 
death, it is, all the same, a good place for great Americans 
to go during life. The magnificent banquet tendered No- 
vember 6, in the gay capital, to General Grant, by the resi- 
dent Americans, is a proof of the latter. The three hundred 
and fifty Americans who greeted our great soldier so hand- 
somely, one and all, thought so. As for the General, him- 
self, he has had so many courtesies from occasional kings 
and nobles, that he must have felt a thrill of pleasure pass 
throu^'-h him, as he found himself face to face with a com- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



275 



pany in which every man was a sovereign. As for the 
ladies, God bless them! they are queens everywhere. 
Among thos^ beside the General at the banquet, were men 
who carried the names, dear to all patriotic Americans, of 
Rochambeau and Lafayette. Thus did old France look 
kindly through the eyes of her descendants upon the chil- 
dren of the Republic of the West, which her blood and 
treasure did so much to found. 

The banqeting hall was splendidly decorated and illu- 
minated. The Franco-American Union contributed a 
portrait of General Grant, which, adorned with flags, was 
hung over the principal table. A band stationed in the 
gallery played at intervals, and vocal music was given by 
a chorus furnished by the director of the Italian opera. 

General Grant, Minister Noyes and General Torbert 
were in full military uniform. 

Mr. Noyes, as chairman, proposed the following 
toasts : — 

"The President of the United States," which was re- 
sponded to by music only. 

"The President of the French Republic," to which a 
similar response was made. 

These were followed by the toast of the evening, "Our 
Guest, General Grant," which was proposed by the Chair- 
man in the following speech: — 

"Ladies and Gentlemen: It has generally hap- 
pened, according to the world's history, that when a great 
public crisis has occurred, such as a revolution for inde- 
pendence or a struggle for national existence, some man 
has been found specially fitted for and equal to the emer- 
gency. He appears suddenly from unexpected quarters, 
and is not always selected from the arena of politics or from 
among the most prominent of his countrymen. He as- 
sumes at the proper time leadership and control, simply 



276 GENERAL V. S. GRANT*S 

because he was born for it and seems to havje waited for 
the opporti.mity and the necessity. 

"W^hen the war of secession was inaugurated in America, 
in 1 861, a quiet and silent man, who had received a 
military education, was pursuing an avocation in civil life 
in a small town in Illinois. As soon as the first hostile 
guns opened upon Fort Sumter, he offered his services to 
his country and was appointed colonel of a regiment of 
volunteers. It was then believed that the war w^ould be of 
short duration and limited in extent, but the North had un- 
derrated the spirit and perhaps the courage and endurance 
of the rebellious section. Early reverses and doubtful con- 
tests that were either defeats or drawn battles soon made it 
apparent that all the energies and resources of the govern- 
ment would be taxed to the uttermost. The theater of war 
rapidly extended until it stretched westward a thousand 
miles from the sea, across great rivers and mountain ranges. 
Immense armies were assembled in the South, composed 
of brave and chivalric soldiers and commanded by able and 
accomplished leaders. There were serious political troubles 
and divided sympathies among the people of the North, 
but both sides nerved themselves for the bloody and terri- 
ble struggle, which lasted four years and resulted in the 
success of the national forces. 

"Meantime our Illinois Colonel had risen in rank until 
there was no grade sufficient for his recognition and re- 
ward, and two new ones were successively created. This 
silent man had shaken the continent with the thunder of his 
artillery and the tramp of his victorious columns. At the 
close of the war he was general-in-chief, commanding all 
the armies of the Republic, which carried upon their muster 
rolls 1,100,000 men. The Union was preserved, and its flag 
everywhere respected. After the close of the war he was 
twice called by a grateful nation to the highest office tn the 
gift of forty-five million people. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 277 

**He administered the government with moderation, gen- 
erosity, wisdom and success. The civil power was con- 
fronted by many complicated and ditHcult questions. He 
solved them with rare patriotism and intelligence, and his 
place in history as a civil magistrate will be among the 
foremost. After sixteen years of such labor as few men 
could endure, after such success in war and peace as few 
men ever attain, he seeks recreation in many lands, and an 
opportunity to compare the institutions of his own country 
with the civilization and forms of government of the Old 
World. It is our happy privilege to-night to welcome the 
great soldier and statesman to this, the Queen City of the 
world, and to wish for him and his family health and hap- 
piness. Without detaining you longer, I propose the health 
of the distinguished guest of the evening, General Grant, 
ex-President of the United States." 

The delivery of General Noyes' speech was frequently 
interrupted by enthusiastic applause. 

General Grant, on rising to reply, was received with 
prolonged cheering. He said: 

" Ladies and Gentlemen : After your flattering 
reception, and the compliments of Governor Noyes^ I am 
embarrassed to thank you as I should wish. During the 
five and a half months I have been in Europe, my recep- 
tion has been very gratifying, not only to me, but also, 
above all, to my country and countrymen, who were hon- 
ored by it. I thank the American colony of Paris. I hope 
its members will enjoy their visit here as I am doing and 
hope to do for some weeks yet. I hope when you return 
home you will find you realized the benefits predicted by 
our Minister." 

Loud and enthusiastic applause followed the General's 
speech. 

M. de Lafayette replied to the toast of "France." He 
laid France duly appreciated the great leader and great 



27S GENBRAL U. S. GRANT's 

citizen who honored her by his visit. M. de Lafayette re- 
marked that General Grant quitted power solely to bow 
before the laws of his country. He thanked him for visit- 
ing France, because he was a great example for her, and 
because France gained from close inspection. In con- 
clusion, he alluded to the Revolutionary war, and expressed 
an ardent wish that the French and American republics 
should never be separated, but form an indissoluble union 
for the welfare, liberty and independence of peoples. 

The Marquis of Rochambeau also spoke in eulogy of 
General Grant. 

The toast, " The Army and Navy," was responded to 
by the singing of the " Star Spangled Banner " by the 
Italian chorus. 

Mr. Noyes finally proposed " The Ladies," and General 
Torbert offered « The Health of the United States Min- 
ister." Mr. Noyes replied briefly, and the company then 
adjourned to the drawing-room. 

After nearly a month's stay in Paris, having been dined 
and feted by nearly all the prominent and distinguished 
civilians and officials in this gay city, the great sensational 
event was the fete^ consisting of a dinner and ball, given in 
honor of ex-President Grant by Mrs. Mackay, wife of 
"Bonanza" Mackay, on November 21, at her splendid 
mansion in the Rue Tilsit. The affair overshadowed in 
importance, as far as the American colony and fashionable 
society are concerned, anything that had preceded it in 
brilliant extravagance of display. Even the reporters were 
at a loss for hyperboles of descriptive style that could do 
justice to the pomp, splendor and sparkle of the occasion. 
The house where the affair took place cost one mil- 
lion five hundred thousand francs, and the furniture five 
hundred thousand francs. It looks out upon the Place 
d'Etoile, and is a splendid residence. The garden 
was brilliantly illuminated and decorated with national 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 279 

flags, and with emblems set in thousands of gas jets. The 
orchestra, consisting of thirty-six musicians, was stationed 
on a pavilion built out from the houst in front of the Rue 
Tilsit. A dozen footmen, in liveries of crimson and gold, 
lined the entrance and stairway. 

The carriages occupied the causeway in front. The 
vestibule, staircase and passage-ways were \ "^ol'usely deco- 
rated with flags and beautiful flowers. Tht vooms were 
magnificent. Everything that money could supply and ele- 
gant taste select was there to add to the beauty and im- 
pressiveness of the scene. 

There were covers for twenty-four, and the guests were 
General Grant and family, and the members of the Amer- 
ican Legation and Consulate and their families. There 
were no unofficial Americans present at the dinner. The 
menu was inscribed on small silver tablettes^ as in the case 
of the famous dinner to Senator Sharon at San Francisco. 
After the dinner, a grand reception and ball took place, 
at which three hundred guests were present. Among 
the guests were the Maiquis de Lafayette, MM. de 
Rochambeau and de Bois-Thierr-y, the Due de Rivoli, 
the Due and Duchesse de Bojano, the Due and Mile. 
Ribon de Trohen, Comtes de Beon, Serrurrier, de 
Montferraut, de Divonns and Excelmans, the Baronne 
Delort de Gleon, Barons Houbeyran and de Reinach, and 
Vicomtes de Villestrux and Marchand, the Due Decazes, 
Senator Laboulaye, MM. Henri Martin and Leon Say, 
Mme. Guizot, Mr. and Mrs. Seligman and M. Cernuschi. 
The American colony was largely represented, and the 
number of beautiful women was very remarkable. The 
ladies' costumes displayed extraordinaiy taste, elegance and 
richness. The dancing commenced early and continued 
till four o'clock in the morning. 

During the latter part of November, General Grant 
y9?i% feted and dined by Mrs. General Sickles, at her resi- 



28o GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

dence in the Rue Presbourg, which was a brilliant affair; 
by the Marquis de Talleyrand-Perigord; by the Comte de 
Paris; Emile Girardin, editor of La France; M. Gam- 
betta; Mr. Healy, the American artist; M. Laugel, a prom- 
inent Orleanist, and at the house of Mr. Harjes, the banker, 
was toasted for the last time in Paris. The gentlemen in 
the party were all Americans, and the affair was one of the 
most elegant which has taken place in Paris this season. 

As a guest of many distinguished persons in the gay 
capital, and a man honored in all circles, he had enjoyed an 
uncommonly brilliant round of festivities, and had been the 
subject of wide and various criticism, and had stood the fire 
of festivities and criticism alike with that imperturbable 
tranquility which is an inseparable element of his identity. 



\ 



I 



CHAPTER XXV. 



THROUGH FRANCE. ITALY. 

General Grant and party reached Lyons on the 2d of 
December, and were received by the Prefect, the President 
of the Municipal jCouncil, American residents and several 
of the leading silk merchants of Lyons. After a tour of 
inspection of the quays and places of interest, he left for 
Marseilles on the 3d, where he was received with great 
enthusiasm. On the 15th we find him at Genoa, he hav- 
ing previously visited Villa Franca and Leghorn. After 
visiting the town of Genoa, the General gave a reception 
to the authorities on board the United States steamer Van- 
dalia, Commander Robeson. 

Reaching Naples, early on the evening of the 17th, on 
the following day, in company with Mrs. Grant and son, he 
made the ascent of Mount Vesuvius, but, the day being 
cold, the party did not reach the crater. Luncheon was 
served at the "House of Refuge," near the Observatory, 
and a pleasant hour spent in enjoying the remarkable view 
of Capri and Ischia. The plain is studded with tw^enty 
villages and lined with snow clad hills, and the snow looked 
beautifully clear and white in the gorgeous sunlight of an 
Italian sky. They returned in the evening to the Vanda- 
lia, after having spent a delightfully pleasant day. 

On Wednesday the General and family, accompanied by 
Consul Duncan, Commander Robeson, Lieutenants Strong, 
Rush an^ Miller, and Engineer Baird, visited the ruins of 

281 



282 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

Pompeii. The government had made arrangements for 
a special excavation in honor of General Grant, so 
that he might see how^ the work was done, and see 
some of the curiosities recovered just as they were 
placed when the city was suddenly destroyed. The day 
was a little cold, but clear, and in every way favorable 
'for the work. The director of the excavations received 
General Grant and party, and conducted them to the prin- 
cipal points of interest. Two hours were spent wandering 
among the ruins of this ancient and memorable city, and 
*t every step something of interest was seen. The work- 
ingmen then proceeded to dig out the chamber of a buried 
house, and discovered some fragments of a table made of 
wood and bronze. The workmanship was very curious 
and elaborate, and was examined with great interest by the 
whole party. The next object of interest discovered was 
a loaf of bread, wrapped neatly in cloth and perfectly dis- 
tinguishable. Many other curious and interesting articles 
were found and inspected by the party of visitors, and all 
expressed themselves as highly gratified with their visit to 
the ruins of the ancient city. They returned in the even- 
ing. 

On Thursday ex-President Grant returned the official 
visits of the civil and military authorities of the city. As 
he left the Vandalia the yards were manned and a salute 
fired, the salute being returned by the Italian Admiral. 
General Grant then landed, and was met by the General 1 
commanding the district, who had a regiment of Bersaglieri 
drawn up in front of the Royal Palace, and reviewed by 
General Grant. Accompanied by the Italian officials, he 
then visited the naval and military schools and the palace, 
after which he attended a reception at the house of Consul 
Duncan. 

During these visits General Grant was accompanied by 
hi* son. Commander Robeson, Lieutenants Rush and 



i 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 2S3 

Miller, and a splendid retinue of Italian officials. The 
whole tone of the reception accorded him was cordial and 
stately. The General expressed himself with the greatest 
admiration of the Italian troops. 

Christmas we find General Grant and party on board the 
Vandalia, at Palermo, The General remained on board until 
noon to receive the visit of the Prefect, who came in state, 
and was honored with a salute of fifteen guns. His Honor 
remained only a few minutes, during which he tendered 
the General all the hospitalities and courtesies of the town, 
but General Grant declined them, with thanks. 

After the departure of the city authorities, the General 
and Captain Robeson went on shore, and sauntered about 
for two or three hours, looking on the holiday groups, who 
made the day a merry one in their Sicilian fashion. A 
Christmas dinner was furnished from the ship's larder. 
The hosts were Chief Engineer J. Trilley, Surgeon George 
Cooke, Lieutenant-Commander A. G. Caldwell, Lieutenant 
E. T. Strong, Past-Assistant-Engineers G. W. Baird and 
D. M. Fulmer, Lieutenant Jacob W. Miller, Paymaster J. 
P. Loomis, Lieutenant Richard Rush, Captain L. E. 
Fagan, commanding the marines. Lieutenant H. O. 
Handy, Lieutenant W. A. Hadden and Master J. W. 
Daunehower. These comprised the names of the ward- 
room officers of the Vandalia — a gallant, manly, chivalrous 
company they were. The guests of the evening were Gen- 
eral Grant and wife, Commander H. B. Robeson, and 
Jesse R. Grant. This was the company; the rnenu will 
give an idea of what a ship's kitchen can do for a Christ- 
mas dinner: 

MENU. 

Potage. 

Tomate puree. 

Bouchees a la reine. 

Cabellon a la Hollandaise. 

Puree de pommes. 
Dindonneau aux huitre*. 
Haricots verts. 



2S4 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

Filets aux champignons. 

Petits pois. 

Punch a la Romaine. 

Salade. 

Plum pudding. 

Mince pies. 

Dessert. 

It was nearly six when the soup made its appearance, 
and it was half-past eight before the waiters brought in the 
coffee. There was no hurry — no long pauses. The chat 
went round the table, the General doing his share of talk. 
It was a genial, home-like feast. Thus, Christmas, 1877, 
closed merry and pleasant. 

The next morning there were calls to make — official 
calls; this is one of the duties of the General's trip. The 
incognito of General Grant is one that no one will respect. 
He declines all honors and attentions, so far as he can do 
so without rudeness, and is especially indifferent to the 
parade and etiquette by which his journey is surrounded. 
It is amusing, knowing General Grant's feelings on the 
subject, to read the articles in English and American papers 
about his craving for precedence, and his fear lest he may 
not have the proper seat at the table and the highest num- 
ber of guns for a salute. He had declined every attention 
of an official character thus far, except those whose non- 
acceptance would have been misconstrued. When he 
arrived at a port, his habit was to go ashore with his wife 
and son, see what was to be seen, and drift about from pal- 
ace to picture gallery, like any other wandering, studious 
American, " doing Europe." Sometimes the officials were 
too prompt for him, but generally, unless they called by 
appointment, they found the General absent. 

In this country a large class of our citizens have been 
misled by the false reports of the press and enemies of ex- 
President Grant, and believe that the General traveled 
like a prince, with a large retinue; that he was enabled to do 
80, because the men who fattened on the corruptions of his 



TOUR AROVPJtJ THE WORLD. 285 

administration gave him a share of their plunder. The 
truth is, General Grant traveled as a private citizen. He 
had one servant and a courier. His courier arranged for 
his hotel accommodations, and the one who did office for 
the General took pains to get as good bargains for his 
master as possible. So far as General Grant being a rich 
man, it is known by his friends that, when he left this 
country, the duration of his trip would depend entirely 
upon his income, and this income depends altogether upon 
the proceeds of his investment of the money presented to 
him at the close of the war. The Presidency yielded him 
nothing in the way of capital, and he has not now a dollar 
that came tc him as an official. By this is meant, that the 
money paid to General Grant as a soldier and as a Presi- 
dent was spent by him in supporting the dignity of his 
office. Everybody knows how much money was given 
him at the close of the war; as this was all well invested 
and has grown, one may estimate the fortune of the Gen- 
eral, and about how long that fortune would enable him to 
travel like a prince over Europe. 

At Palermo General Grant and family remained several 
days, enjoying the delightful climate and picturesque attrac- 
tions. This Sicily is the land of many civilizations. Here 
Greek, the Carthagenian, the Roman and the Saracen, 
have made their mark. This is the land of the poetry of 
Homer, the genius of Archimedes, the philosophy and piety 
j of Paul. These hills and bays and valleys have seen mighty 
I armies striving for the mastery of the world. Certainly if 
i example or precept, or the opportunity for great deeds, 
ti could ennoble a nation, Sicily should be the land of heroes. 
[| But its heroism has fallen into rags, and the descendants of 
i\ the men who destroyed the Athenian fleet in Syracuse, and 
M who confronted the power of Carthage at Agrigentum, 
. now spend their time sleeping in the sun, swarming around 
chapel doors to beg, and hiding in the hills to waylay trav- 



2S6 GENERAL U. S. GRANX's 

elers and rob them or keep them for a ransom. Brigand- 
age has ^or generations been the dominant industry in the 
Sicilies, but it is due to the present Italian government to say 
that they are doing all in their power to suppress it. 

On the 2Sth, General Grant and party arrived at La 
Valetta, Malta. At this place the General was visited 
by the Duke of Edinburgh, who was at Malta in com- 
mand of the Sultan, an English ironclad. His Royal 
Highness was received at the gangway by Captain Robe- 
son. He was dressed in his uniform as Captain, wearing 
on his breast the star of the Garter. 

General Grant advanced and greeted the Duke, and 
presented the gentlemen with him, and they retired to the 
cabin. They remained in conversation for the best part of 
an hour, talking about Malta, its antiquities, its history, 
England, education and the Eastern question. The Duke 
spoke of the visit of his brother-in-law, the Grand Duke 
Alexis, to America, and of the gratification of the family 
at the reception tendered him in America. His Royal ] 
Highness is a pattern of a sailor, and has all the ease and 
off-liand grace of the family. On taking his leave, he i 
invit<'d the General and family to visit him at his palace of || 
San Antonio and take luncheon, which was accepted. 

The palace of San Antonio is about four miles from 
town; it is surrounded by orange groves and walls, and is 
noted as the only large garden on the island. The drive 
was through an interesting country, and greatly enjoyed 
by the visitors. At the palace, the Duke and Duchess ' 
received the General and Mrs. Grant and their son in the ' 
most gracious manner. After luncheon His Royal High- 
ness escorted them through the orange groves. At noon i 
General Grant visited the Governor-General of Malta. [i 

On leaving, the General was saluted with twenty-one | 
guns. A regiment was drawn up in front of the palace as 1 
a g-uard of honor. The Governor, a famous old English 



I 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 3S7 

General, Van Straubeuzee, wore the Order of the Grand 
Cross of the Bath. He received the General and party at the 
door of the palace, surrounded by his council and a group 
of Maltese noblemen. After presentation to Lady Van 
Straubeuzee, the same ceremonies were repeated. In the 
evening there was a state dinner to the General and party 
at the palace, including, among the guests. Commander 
Robeson and Lieutenant-Commander Caldwell, of the 
Vandalia, as well as the Captain and executive officers of 
the Gettysburg. At the dinner General Grant's health was 
proposed, which was responded to in the heartiest manner. 
There were many temptations to remain in Malta. 
Hospitalities were showered upon General Grant. All the 
great ones vied with one another in making his visit a pleas- 
ant one. Yet on the last day of the year the General bid 
goofi-bye, and sailed for the land of the Lotus. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



IN EGYPT AND THE LOTUS LAND. 

The voyage from Malta to Egypt was exceedingly un- 
pleasant. A severe storm prevailed most of the time, ren- 
dering life anything but comfortable. Unlike the majority 
of military heroes, General Grant seems to take kindly to 
the w^aves, and to be as much at home on them as if he 
had been educated at Annapolis instead of West Point. 

No storm, however severe, could deprive him of his 
cigar, or, to use a sea phrase, keep him below. In this 
respect he is very unlike Napoleon, who detested the sea, 
and whom the smell of tar invariably sickened. The 
English humorists never tired of twitting him on the fact, 
and the patriotic prints and cartoons at the time he was 
planning his celebrated invasion depict the conqueror of 
the continent in some exceedingly ludicrous positions. 

The General and party stopped at Alexandria because 
they wanted a safe anchorage, though they had intended 
going direct to Cairo. He remained there three days. 
The Vandalia had hardly anchored when the Governor of 
the district, the Admiral and the General, Pachas and Beys, 
Consul-General Farman, Judges Barringer and Morgan, 
and resident missionaries, came on board, and were received 
by General Grant. The Governor, in the name of the 
Khedive, welcomed General Grant to Egypt, and offered 
him a palace in Cairo, and a special steamer up the Nile. 
It is Oriental etiquette to return calls as soon as possible, 
and accordingly in the afternoon the General, accompanied 

2S8 




UIA. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



291 



by his son, Commander Robeson, Chief Engineer Tnller> 
and Lieutenant Handy of the navy, landed in the official 
barge. As this was an official visit, the Vandalia manned the 
yards and fired twenty-one guns. .These salutes were 
responded to by the Egyptian vessels; a guard of honor 
received the General at the palace, and the reception was 
after the manner of the Orientals. 

We enter a spacious chamber and are seated on a cush- 
ioned seat or divan, according to rank. The Pacha offers 
the company cigarettes. Then compliments are exchanged, 
the Pacha saying how proud Egypt is to see the illustrious 
stranger, and the General answering that he anticipates 
great pleasure in visiting Egypt. The Pacha gives a signal, 
and servants enter bearing little porcelain cups about as 
large as an egg^ in filigree cases. This is the beverage — 
coffee — or, as was the case with this special Pacha, a hot 
drink spiced with cinnamon. Then the conversation con- 
tinues with judicious pauses, the Orientals being slow in 
speech and our General not apt to diffuse his opinions. In 
about five minutes we arise and file down-stairs in slow, 
solemn fashion, servants and guards saluting, and the visit 
is over. 

General and Mrs. Grant dined with Vice-Consul Sal- 
vage, and in the evening attended a ball given in their 
honor. This was an exceedingly brilliant entertainment, 
and interesting in one respect especially, because it was 
here that the General met Henry M. Stanley, just fresh 
from the African wilderness. Stanley sat on the right of 
the General, and they had a long conversation upon African 
matters and the practical results of the w^ork done by the 
intrepid explorer. The Consul-General proposed the 
health of General Grant, and Judge Barringer proposed 
that of Mrs. Grant, who was prevented by fatigue from 
attending. Then a toast was proposed in honor of Stan- 
ley, who made a grateful response, saying that it was one 



292 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

of the proudest moments of his life to find himself seated 
by the guest of the evening. The entertainment at Mr. 
Salvage's at an end, the visitors returned on board the 
Vandalia. Sunday was spent quietly in a stroll about the 
town. Here the General and party left the Vandalia to 
visit Cairo and the Nile. Going by rail, they reached 
Cairo after a run of four hours. Here he was met by Gen- 
eral Stone, the representative of the Khedive, and also 
General Loring, both Americans, and late of the Confed- 
erate States army. General Grant and General Stone 
were together at West Point, and old friends. Their meet- 
ing was quite enthusiastic. The General asks General 
Loring to ride with him, while General Stone accompanies 
Mrs. Grant, and so they drive off to the Palace of Kassr- 
el-Doussa — the palace placed at General Grant's disposal 
by the Khedive. Commander Robeson and Lieutenant 
Rush accept the General's invitation to reside in the palace 
while they are in Cairo, and the remainder of the parti 
find homes in the hotel- 

The General dined qaietly with his family, and nej.. 
day called on the Khedive. The hour fixed for the recep- 
tion was eleven, and a few minutes before that hour the 
state carriages called at the palace. The General wore 
plain evening dress, and was accompanied by the following 
officers: Commander H. B. Robeson, commanding the 
Vandalia; Joseph Trilley, chief engineer; George H. 
Cooke, surgeon; Lieutenant E. T. Strong, Lieutenant J. 
W. Miller, Paymaster J. P. Loomis; G. W. Baird, en- 
gineer; H. L. Hoskinson, ensign; B. F. Walling and E. 
S. Hotchkin, midshipmen; E. R. Freeman, engineer. 
Jesse R. Grant and Consul-General Farman accompanied 
the General. They reached the palace shortly after eleven. 
Thcie was a guard of honor, and the officers of the house- 
holil were ranged on the stairs. The General entered, ano 
was met by His Highness the Khedive at the foot of the 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



293 



\ 



stairs. The General, his son, and Mr. Farman, went into 
an inner room, where the ceremonies of the formal pre- 
sentation took place. The officers then entered, and were 
received by His Highness, who expressed his gratification 
at seeing so many representatives of the navy. This recep- 
tion lasted about half an hour. They then returned to the 
palace, and had scarcely entered when the carriage of the 
Khedive was announced. The General received the Khe- 
dive, who was accompanied by his Secretary for Foreign 
Affairs, and welcomed him in the grand saloon. The offi- 
cers of the Vandalia were present, and their striking uni- 
forms, the picturesque costumes of the Khedive and his 
attendants, and the splendid, stately decorations of the room 
in which they assembled, made the group imposing. At 
the close of the interview. General Grant escorted the Khe- 
dive to his carriage. Official calls were then made upon 
the two sons of the Khedive, who at once returned the 
calls, and so ended official duties. 

Judge Batcheller and Consul-General Farman each 
gave a grand dinner and baii in nonor of the General, whicn 
were attended by the notables of all nations residing at 
Cairo. 

The thoughtful Khedive gave our distinguished traveler 
a steamer specially adapted to the intricate and difficult navi- 
gation of the Nile, also guides, interpreters, and professors 
learned in the mysterious language of the monuments and 
ruins which tell of a civilization that was old a thousand 
years before the dawn of the Western Roman empire. The 
party consisted of General and Mrs. Grant, their son, Sami 
Bey, Emile Brugsch, Consul-General Farman, Chief Sur- 
geon Cooke, Lieutenant Hadden, Ensign F. A. Wilner, 
and a correspondent of the New York Herald — ten in all. 

On the morning of the 19th of January, General Grant 
and party reached Siout, the capital of Upper Egypt, and 
containing twenty-five thousand inhabitants, where we 



294 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

have a Vice-Consul, the city being at some distance from 
tlie river. After having- received a call from Vice-Consul 
Wasif-el-Hayat, a Syrian, they all drove to the town. It 
was over parched fields, through a country parched with 
the drought, but in more favorable years blooming like & 
garden. All the town seemed to know of their coming, 
for wherever they went great crowds swarmed around, and 
they had to force their donkeys through masses of Arabs 
and Egyptians, of all ages and conditions. The stores are 
little holes of rooms, in front of which the trader sits and 
calls upon you to buy. As these avenues are less than 
six feet, one can imagine the trouble had in making prog- 
ress. The town has some fine mosques and houses, but 
in the main is like all the towns of Upper Egypt, a collec- 
tion of mud hovels. A grand reception was given by the 
Vice-Consul. The dinner was regal in its profusion and 
splendor, and consisted of fully twenty courses, all well 
served. When it was concluded, the son of the host arose, 
and, in remarkably clear and correct English, proposed the 
General's health. We give a fragment of this speech: 

" Long have we heard and wondered," said the speaker, 
" at the strange progress which America has made during 
this past century by which she has taken the first position 
among the most widely civilized nations. She has so 
quickly improved in sciences, morals and arts that the world 
stands amazed at this extraordinary progress, which sur- 
passes the swiftness of lightning. It is to the hard work of 
her great and wise men that all this advance is imputed, those 
who have shown to the world what wise, courageous, pat- 
riotic men can do. Let all the world look to America and 
follow her example — that nation which has taken as the 
basis of her laws and the object of her undertakings to 
maintain freedom and equality among her own people, and 
secure them for others, avoiding all ambitious schemes 
which would draw her into bloody and disastrous wars. 



I 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



-9.5 



and trying by all means to maintain peace internally and 
externally. The only two great wars upon which she has 
engaged were entered upon for pure and just purposes — 
the first for releasing herself from the English yoke and 
erecting her independence, and the other for stopping slav- 
ery and strengthening the union of the States; and well 
we know that it was mainly, under God, due to the talent, 
courage and wisdom of his excellency. General Grant, that 
the latter of the two enterprises was brought to a success- 
ful issue." The speech closed by a tribute to the Gen- 
eral and the Khedive. General Grant said in response 
that nothing in his whole trip had so impressed him as this 
unexpected, this generous welcome in the heart of Egypt. 
He had anticipated great pleasure in his visit to Egypt, and 
the anticipation had been more than realized, . He thanked 
his host, and especially the young man who had spoken of 
him with so high praise, for their reception. The dinner 
dissolved into coffee, conversation and cigars. 

On the 3 1st, at the town of Girgel, the General and 
party take to the donkeys and make a trip under the broil- 
ing hot sun, to the ruined city of Abydos. This was the 
oldest city in Egypt. It went back to Menes, the first of 
the Egyptian Kings, who reigned, according to Egyptian 
history, four thousand five hundred years before Christ. 
The ruins are on a grand scale. Abydos is a temple 
which the Khedive is rescuing from the sand. Here, 
according to tradition, was buried the god Osiris. To 
the ancient Egyptian, the burial place of that god was 
as sacred as Mecca to the Moslems, or the Holy Sep- 
ulchre was to the Mediaeval Christians. The govern- 
ment is trying to reclaim this temple, and has been 
digging in all directions. One excavation over fifty feet 
deep was visited. Remnants of an old house oi- tomb could 
be seen. Millions of fragments of broken pottery around. 
The strata, that age after age had heaped upon the buried 



296 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

city, were plainly visible. The city was really a city of 
tombs. In the ancient days the devout Egyptian craved 
burial near the tomb of Osiris, and so for centuries their re- 
mains were brought to Abydos from all parts of Egypt. 
Lunch was taken with Salib, an Arabian, who had for 
twenty years been working at the excavations, working 
with so much diligence that he had become entirely blind, 
and it is now his only comfort to wander through the ruins, 
direct the workmen, and trace with his finger many a loved 
inscription that his zeal has brought to light. Salib lives 
near the ruin, on a pension allowed by the Khedive. After 
an hour's rest, having ridden fifteen miles on donkeys and 
walked two or three in the sand, the visitors returned to 
the shelter and repose of the cabin of the Vandalia. 

We next find our visitors at Thebes, once a city that 
covered both banks of the Nile, was known to Homer as the 
city of the hundred gates. It had a population of three 
hundred thousand inhabitants, and sent out twenty thousand 
armed chariots. It was famed for its riches and its splendor 
until it was besieged. Here was the temple of Memnon and 
its colossal statues, and the palace temple of the great Ram- 
eses, the only ruin in Egypt known to be the home of a 
King; the columns of the Luxor, and the stupendous ruins 
of Kanark, and the tombs of the kings. Visiting the town 
of Luxor, a collection of houses built upon the ruins of the 
old temple, erected over three thousand years ago; there is 
a fine obelisk here, the companion to the one now standing 
in the Place Concordia, Paris; also a statue of Rameses, of 
colossal size, now broken and partly buried in the sand. 
Next morning the party crossed the river, and prepared 
for a ride to visit Memnon statues; arrived at their destina- 
tion, they found all that is left of Memnonism are the two 
colossal statues. A good part of the base is buried in the 
earth, but they loom up over the plain, and can be seen miles 
and miles away. Some idea of their size can be formed. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



J97 



when it is known that the statue measures eighteen feet 
three inches across the shoulders, sixteen feet six inches 
from tlie top of the shoulder to the elbow, and the portions 
of the body in due proportion. After examining these 
statues and resting a half hour, they visited the temple of 
Medesnet Habro, one of the great temples of Thebes, 
and the palace temple of the great Rameses, who lived 
thirteen hundred years before Christ, and is supposed by 
some to be the Pharaoh that brought the plagues upon 
Egypt. The walls of the palace are covered with inscrip- 
tions. After carefully exploring these interesting ruins, and 
luncheon being served in one of the old King's apartments, 
our party returned by the route of the early morning. 
Next morning, after a ride of forty minutes from Luxor, our 
party were at the ruined temple of Kanark, built in the 
days of Abraham. It is hard to realize that in the infinite 
and awful past, in the days when the Lord came down to 
the earth and communed with men and gave His command- 
ments, these columns and statues, these plinths and entabla- 
tures, these mighty, bending walls, upon which chaos has 
put its seal, were the shrines of a nation's faith and sover- 
eignty ; yet this is all told in stone. 

Kanark, which was not only a temple, but one in the 
series of temples which constituted Thebes, is about half a 
mile from the river, a mile or two from the temple of 
Luxor. The front wall or propylon is 370 feet broad, 50 
feet deep, and the standing tower 140 feet high. Leading 
up to this main entrance is an avenue, lined with statues and 
sphinxes, 200 feet long. When you enter this gate, you 
enter an open court-yard 275 feet by 329. There is a cor- 
rider or cloister on either side; in the middle a double 
line of columns, of which only one remains. We now 
come to another wall or propylon, as large as the entrance, 
and enter the great hall — the most magnificent ruin in 
Egypt. The steps of the door are 40 feet by 10. The 



298 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

I'oom is a 170 feet by 329, and the roof was supported by 
134 columns. These columns are all ornearly all standing, 
but the roof has gone. Twelve are 62 feet high' without 
the plinth, and 1 1 feet 6 inches in diameter. One hundred 
and twenty-two are 43 feet 5 inches in height, and 28 feet 
in circumference. They were all brilliantly colored, and 
some of them retain tlieir colors still; and you can well 
imagine what must have been the blaze of light and color, 
when the kings and priests passed through in solemn pro- 
cession. We pass through another gate into an open court. 
Here is an obelisk in granite 75 feet high, and the fragments 
of another, its comjianion. The inscriptions on them are 
as clear as though they had been cut yesterday, so gentle 
is this climate in its dealings with time. They celebrate 
the victories and virtues of the kings who reigned 1700 
years before Christ, and promise the kings in the name of 
the immortal gods that their glory shall live for ages. 
We pass into another chamber very much in ruins, and 
see another obelisk, 92 feet high and 8 feet square — the 
largest in the world. This monument commemorates the 
virtues of the king's daughter — womanly and queenly vir- 
tues, which met their reward, let us hope, thirty-five cen- 
turies ago. One may form some idea of what the Egvp- 
tifms could do in the way of mechanics and engineering, 
when it is known that this obelisk is a smgle block of 
granite, that it was brought from the quarry, miles and 
miles away, erected and inscribed, in seven months. The 
next room was the sanctury, the holy of holies, and is now 
a mass of rubbish requiring nimble feet to climb. We 
scramble over stones and sand, until we come to what was 
the room where King Amenophis III., who lived sixteen 
centuries before Christ, was represented as giving offerings 
to fifty-six of his royal predecessors. The hall is a ruin, 
and some French Vandals carried off the tablet — one of 
the most valuable in Egypt — to Paris. Altogether the 






AVW' 






l':i!.l:cl, -z=r 



Luxor s^r- 







DOWN THE NILE, 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 3OI 

building alone was i,ioS feet long, and about 300 feet wide, 
the circuit around the outside, according to a Roman histo- 
rian who saw it in its glory, being about a mile and a half. 

This was the temple, but the temple was only a part. 
There were three avenues leading from it to the other tem- 
ples; these avenues were lined with statues, large and small, 
generally of the Sphinx. Some distance from the temple 
is a pool of water, known as the Sacred Lake. When an 
Egyptian died and was .embalmed, his body was brought 
to the lake, where, if the deceased had liveil worthily, the 
body was sprinkled with water from the lake by the priests, 
and was carried across to the other shore, and removed 
from there to the catacombs. 

Wherever we find walls we have inscriptions. The in- 
scriptions are in hieroglyphic language — a language as 
clear to scholars now as the Latin or Sanscrit. They tell of 
battles and the glory of the King Ramescs, who is supposed 
to be the Sesostris of the Greeks. We see him leading his 
men to attack a fortified place. Again we see him leading 
foot soldiers and putting an enemy to the sword. We see him 
leading his captives as an offering to the gods, and offering 
not only prisoners, but booty of great value. The group 
of prisoners are rudely done, but you see the type of the 
race clearly outlined. We trace these types, and thus learn 
of the warlike achievements of this monarch whose fame 
is carved all over Egypt, and about whose name there is 
an interesting debate. Again and again these war themes 
are repeated, one king after another reciting his conquests 
and his virtues, wars and treaties of peace. It seemed in 
the building of these temples that the intention was to 
make the walls monumental records of the achievements 
of various reigns. When the walls were covered, or a king 
wished to be especially gracious to the priests, or, as is more 
probable, desired to employ his soldiers, he would build a 
a»w wing or addition to the temple already existing, striv- 



302 GENERAL U. S. GRANT 8 

ing, if possible, to make his own addition more magnificent 
than those of his predecessors. In this way came the great 
temple of Karnak. As a consequence, these stupendous, 
inconceivable ruins were not the work of one prince or one 
generation, but of many; and as there was always some- 
thing to add, and always a new ambition coming into play, 
we find these temples, tombs, pyramids and obelisks, all 
piled one upon another, all inspired by the one sentiment, 
and all telling the same story. Here are the records, and 
here are the ruins. If the records read like a tale of en- 
chantment, these ruins look the work of gods. The world 
does not show, except where we have evidences of the con- 
vulsions of nature, a ruin as vast as that of Karnak. Let 
the reader imagine a city covering two banks of the Hud- 
son, running as far as the Battery to Yonkers and back, 
seven miles, all densely built, and you have an idea of the 
extent of Thebes. But this will only give you an idea of 
size. The buildings were not Broadways and Fifth Av- 
enues, but temples and colossal monuments and tombs, the 
greatness of which, and the skill and the patience neces- 
sary to build them, exciting our wonder to-day. Thebes 
in its day must have been a wonder of the world — even of 
the ancient world, which knew Nineveh and Babylon. 
To-day all that remains are a few villages of mud huts, a 
few houses in stone, flying consular flags, a plain here and 
there strewed with ruins, and under the sand ruins even 
more stupendous than those we now see. 

At Keneh the General and his party landed and in- 
spected the town, making several purchases. The Pacha 
of the province, learning that so illustrious a visitor was in 
his domain, sent couriers at once to invite the General to his 
palace, which was accepted. This palace was a low brick 
building, like a barracks. The visitors were shown into the 
reception chamber, and ranged on the divan. There was a 
long waiting, when the Governor appeared, a stout, pleas- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 303 

ant looking, gray mustached soldier, in his full uniform of 
a general. He received the General with courtesy, and 
there wa« the usual exchange of compliments; then came 
the coffee and the pipes, and the adieu. The Governor ac- 
companied General Grant in his return walk, calling upon 
the German Consul, who had waylaid him and begged that 
he would honor his house. This officer lived in style ap- 
proaching splendor, and when his visitors were served with 
coffee and pipes they noticed that the pipestems were 
amber garnished with diamonds, and the coffeecups were 
of the finest porcelain in cases of silver and gold. These 
ceremonies over, the General and party returned to the 
boat, through a gust of sand. 

At Assouan, a town of four thousand inhabitants, 
five hundred and eighty miles south of Cairo and seven 
hundred and thirty from the Mediteranean, General 
Grant and party intended to end their journey. Assouan 
is the frontier station of Old Egypt, on the boundary of 
Nubia, and supposed to lay directly under the equator. In 
the ancient days the town was a quarry, and here were found 
the stones which became obelisks, temples and tombs. 
When Islam was marching to conquer the world, the Sar- 
acens made a town here and an outpost, and for years was 
the battlefield in the constant strifes and schisms between 
Nubian and Egyptian. At Assouan the aspect of the tour 
changes; we see the Nubian type, the predominance of the 
Negro. The people seem happy enough. They are 
sparing of clothes, live on sugar cane, and lie in the sun — 
a happy, laughing, idle, dirty, good humored race. 

Next day General Grant visited Philse, situated on an 
island at the foot of the first cataract of the Nile. It was by 
far the most interesting and picturesque ruin that our party 
had seen. The island is green, and the date palms of luxu- 
riant growth, and, unlike other portions of Egypt, we miss 
the sand, and can step trippingly over stones and turf. The 



304 



GENERAL U, S. GRANT S 



river here spreads in various clianucls, and runs over rocks. 
One channel is used for vessels ascending the river; the 
other for vessels descending the stream. The river is nar- 
row, the banks are steep, and the stream rolls and dashes 
like a sea, the weaves roaring and lashing the banks. The 
danger is from the rocks and being dashed against its 
banks. 

In the morning the boat's prow is turned, and the Gen- 
eral is moving back toward the Vandalia. On his return 
trip the General stopped over night at Keneh, saw his old 
friend the Governor, stopped an hour at Siout, and on the 
3d of February reached Memphis. Here are the tombs of 
the sacred bull. 

It was believed in the Egyptian mythology that the 
god Osiris "came to earth and allowed himself to be 2:)ut to 
death in order that the souls of the people might be saved. 
After his death there was a resurrection, and the immortal 
part of him passed into a bull, called Apis. 

The ride to the tombs of Memphis was a pleasant one. 
The ruins of Memphis are two or three tombs and the 
serapeum or mausoleum of the sacred bulls. One of the 
tombs being open, the visitors examined it, the walls 
having the same profuse decoration as had been noted at 
other points, entering a long, arched passage, with par- 
allel passages, candles having been placed at various points. 
On each side of this passage were the tombs. Each tomb 
was in its alcove; the bull was placed in a huge sarcophagus, 
the surface finely polisiied and covered with inscriptions. 
These coffins were stupendous. The tombs have ;dl been 
violated by the early conquerors, to find gold and silver. 
In most cases the cover has been shoved aside. The 
inside was so large that eight or ten men could enter. 

After finishing this study of the tombs, the party of visit- 
ors rode back to their boat, and in the morning steamed 
down to Cairo. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



305 



General Grant had seen the Nile much more rapidly 
than is the custom. 

The General sent for the captain, and thanked him, and 
made him a handsome present, and gave presents to all on 
the boat, including the crew. 

At 12 o'clock the boat passed the bridge and moored 
at the wharf. The General and party returned to the pal- 
ace of Kaser-el-Nousa, where he remained three days, and 
then i-esumed his journey. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



TURKEY AND THE HOLY LAND. 

General Grant and party arrived at Jaffa on the morning 
of Sunday, February lo, having spent just one month on 
the Nile and vicinity. Upon landing, the visitors at once 
went to Vice-Consul Hardegg, and there found welcome 
and entertainment. There was a little archway of 
flowers and branches over the road, surmounted by the in- 
scription, "Welcome, General Grant," and all the town 
was out to do him honor. After visiting all tlie places of 
interest. General and Mrs. Grant, with four of the officers 
of the Vandalia, prepared to visit the Holy City. Having 
obtained three clumsy open wagons, each drawn by three 
horses, they drove out of the town into the plain of Sharon. 
It was too early in the season to see Palestine in its glory, 
but the plain was rich and fertile. The party reached 
Ramleh at about sundown, and remained over night, resum- 
ing their journey at six in the morning. Passing from the 
plain of Sharon into the country of Joshua and Sampson, the 
road becomes rough and stony, and the carts go bumping, 
thumping over the worst road in the world. The fertility of 
Palestine lies in the plain below. Around and ahead, the 
beauty of Palestine, the beauty of Nature in her deso- 
lation; no houses, no farms, no trace of civilization but the 
telegraph poles. The first biblical view is the ruins of 
Gezer, once a royal city of Canaan. Passing through the 
Kirjath Jearim, the valley*of Ajalon and the scene of the 
great battle between David and Goliath, the valley is deep 

306 



TOUn AROUND THE WORLD. 3O7 

and the brook still runs a swift course. This was the last, 
ravine this side of the heights of Jerusalem, and one of the 
strongest natural defenses of the city. At this point Gen- 
eral Grant was met by a troop of cavalry, representatives 
from all of the Consulates, delegations from the Americans, 
jews, Armenians and Greeks, resident in Jerusalem — in all 
([uite a small army — and, instead of quietly entering the city 
as he had expected, he was commanded to enter as a con- 
queror, in a triumphal manner. 

Arrived at the city. General Grant was at once called 
upon by the Pacha and the Consuls. The Bishops and the 
Patriarchs all came and blessed the General and his house. 
The Pacha sent his band of fifty pieces in the evening to 
serenade the ex-President. The Pacha also gave a state 
dinner, which was largely attended. Early the following 
morning General Grant stole away, before the reception 
ceremonies, and walked over the street Via Dolorosa, con- 
secrated to Christianity as the street over which Jesus 
carried His cross. The General lived while in Jerusalem 
within five minutes' walk of Calvarv, ana w^ichin sight trom 
his chamber. The first place of interest on this street is 
the Coptic monastery. Here Christ sank under the weight 
of the cross. At the ruins of the Hospice of the Knights 
of St. John; here is where Jesus addressed the women 
who followed him. A few steps further and we are at the 
house and tomb of Veronica, who wiped the blood from 
Jesus' holy brows, and left His image on her napkin. De- 
scending a slippery path, and at the corner is the house 
against which €hrist leaned, overcome by agony. You 
see a dent in the stone. This dent was made by the hand 
of our Lord, as He stretched it out to support His burden. 
It is smooth and dark with the kisses of millions of believ- 
ing lips. 

The next house is that of Dives, tlie rich man. At this 
corner Simon of Cyrene took the cross and carried it a 



3oS GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

part of the way. In front of the house of Dives is a stone, 
and over it a hovel. The hovel was the house of the 
beggar; the stone is where he sat in quest of alms, and 
under this archway Jesus stood and pronounced the para- 
ble which is found in the sixteenth chapter of Luke. 
Here the road makes another bend, and we pass a broken 
column, that must at one time have been a stately 
.ornament. The column broke where Jesus sank upon 
it, and the fissure is clear and deep. We keep on until we 
come to a church, a bright, new church, with an arch over- 
hanging the street. This is the church of Ecce Homo. It 
was here or hereabouts that the road to the cross began. 
There is a barracks on the site of Pilate's judgment hall. 
We go into the church. Behind the altar is an arch, and 
under this arch Pilate stood when he delivered over Jesus to 
the Jews and vvashed his hands of innocent blood. Here, 
in an enclosure, was the whipping, the crowning with 
thorns, the decoration with the purple robes, and here also 
Jesus took up the cross, which He carried to Calvary. 

We can readily see, as we retrace our way up the Via 
Dolorosa, that it must have been a rough and weary road 
to one rent and torn and bleeding and crushed under the 
cruel burden of the cross. Even to the wayforer, in full 
possession of his faculties, it is a tedious task to climb the 
hill of Calvary. 

After finishing the Via Dolorosa, the visitors kept on 
outside of the gates and over the valley of Jehoshaphat. 
Crossing the brook Kedron, the very brook hallowed by 
our Lord's holy and sorrowful footsteps, and ascending the 
hill a short distance, they come to a walled garden. Here 
Jesus knelt and prayed, and made holy forever the Garden 
of Gethsemane. The good monk gathered some flowers 
for Mrs Grant, and for the others twigs and leaves from 
the " Tree of Agony.'' 

The party climbed the Mount of Olives to the summit, 



TOUU AROUND THE WORLD. 



3"9 



and entered the chapel, said to be the site of the Ascension, 
now a Moslem mosque. From its minercts one can look 
far beyond to the land of Moab, the valley of the Jordan 
and the Dead Sea. Here a French princess has erected a 
tomb, and around the walls of which is the Lord's Prayer 
in thirty-two languages. 

Resuming the walk over a hill, they came to the vil- 
lage of Bethany, where Jesus lived when lie preached in 
Jerusalem. Here was Lazarus, His friend, whom He raised 
from the tomb. Here lived Mary and Martha, whom 
Jesus loved. Riding under the overhanging ruins of the 
dwelling in which Jesus found home, shelter, friendship, 
love, they walk around Bethany, which is only a collec- 
tion of ruins and hovels. 

Passing over the graveyard where Lazarus was buried, 
they continue along the road that leads to Jerusalem again, 
by the road sloping at the base of the mountain. It was 
over this road that Jesus rode when He entered Jerusalem 
on an ass. ' At the head of the hill, Jesus wept over the city 
and prophesied its destruction. 

Entering the city by the Damascus gate, it was but a 
few minutes before General Grant and party reached their 
hotel. The walk had been a long and weary one, yet full 
of niterest, eveiy moment awakening a memorv of the 
noblest moment of life, and every step taken had been over 
hallowed ground. 

Leaving Jerusalem, they visited Damascus, where their 
stay was made enjoyable by the attention of the Turkish 
othcials. 

On jNIarch loth General Grant and partv arrived at 
Athens, and were escorted by three Greek ironclads, a large 
crowd witnessing the landing. On the 9th they were pre- 
sented to the King and Queen of Greece, and a grand ban- 
quet given in their honor on the loth. The ruins of the 
ancient temples and the Parthenon were brilliantly illu- 



3IO GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

minatcd. On the 13th General Grant entertained the King 
of Greece at luncheon on board the United States Steamer 
Vandalia, and also lunched with the King on the 14th at 
the American Legation. The General's reception had been 
enthusiastic and hospitable. 

General Grant reached Naples on Monday evening, and 
jDroceeded at once to Rome. Here he was visited by 
Cardinal McCloskey, Lieutenant-General Count Sounaz, 
King Humbert's Aid-de-Camp, and all the dignitaries of 
the government, diplomatic agents, and prominent citizens. 
On the 25th, Minister Marsh gave a grand banquet and 
soiree in honor of General Grant. The foreign ministers, 
members of the cabinet, and most of the American resi- 
dents were present. Several days were spent in visiting 
places of interest. 

On May 5th, General Grant arrived at Turin, where he 
met with a hearty and enthusiastic reception, and on the 
7th returned to the gay French capital. On Thursday the 
Ex-President paid visits to President McMahon, the Prince 
of Wales, Duc'd Aosta, the Due Saxe-Coburg, the Prefect 
of the Seine, and the Prefect of Police. On Friday he 
called upon the English, Turkish, Swedish and Japanese 
Ministers; in the afternoon he drove to the Bois de Boulogne 
and witnessed a game of polo, in which he took a lively in- 
terest. On Saturday the General and Mrs. Grant and their 
son visited the Exposition. He was received by Chief 
Commissioner McCormick and staff, and by the Commis- 
sioners from the various States of the Union, INIinister 
Noyes, Consul-Gencral Torbert and wife, and the leading 
ladies and gentlemen of the American colony in Paris. 

The American marines were drawn up in military 
array, and gave the party a military salute on their arrival 
at the American section. 

The General and his party then examined the whole 
American department in detail. They spent a good deal 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 3II 

of time anioni( TilTany's exhibit, where Bonanza Mackay's 
gorgeous service of silver plate, which cost one hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars, is exhibited. 

Then they proceeded to the machinery department, 
where the General was placed upon a square American jolat- 
form — that of the Howe scale. General Grant, in fact, was 
weighed, and for the first time in his life "found wanting," 
having lost seventeen pounds by his Egyptian trip. 

jSIr. CunlifFe Owen did the honors, in the Prince of 
Wales' pavilion, to the General and his party. 

A handsome collation was served in the Alimentation 
group, No. 17, of the American department, aftei which 
the party jDroceeded to visit the other sections. 

The following week. General Grant was the object of 
further attention, and enjoyed the amenities of Paris life to 
the full, receiving a visit from President McMahon and his 
wife. Prince Hassan of Egypt, Prince Albert and Prince 
Frederick of Austria, Prince and Princess of Denmark. 
The Comte de Paris sent his boxes at the Italian fo'' 
Thursday, and at the grand opera on Friday. He dined 
with Air. Ridgeway on Saturday. 

One of the pleasant things of the week was General 
Grant's visit to the polo grounds in the Bois de Boulogne. 
The Prince of Wales also w^ent the same day. They wit- 
nessed a very interesting game. General Grant was ac. 
coiiipanied by his family and ex-Minister Beale. They 
rL-mained an hour. 

The General said he thought the game might be intro- 
duced with great effect into the cavalry regiments and at 
West Point, as a good school of horsemanship for young 
soldiers. 

The third week of General Grant's stay in Paris was 
equally as pleasant, and every attention shown him. Mr. 
Morton, the banker, gave a " stag " dinner on Monday, and 
the same night Mr. Waddington, the minister of foreign 



312 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

affairs, gave the grandest ball of the season. Five thousand 
invitations were issued, and there was a perfect crush, but 
the costumes of the ladies were something even for a man 
to rave about. 

On Tuesday the American artist, Healy, gave a ball. 
On Wednesday there was a reception and ball at the Min- 
istr}^ of Agriculture. On Friday Mrs. Hooper's private 
theatricals attracted a distinguished party. On Saturday 
there was a soiree dansante at Mrs. Wagner's, and on Sun- 
day Prince Orloff, the Russian minister, gave a grand 
dinner to General Grant, which proved to be one of the 
most enjoyable entertainments given in his honor. These 
festivities were kept up, with little abatement, until the 
middle of June, when General Grant turned his eyes 
toward the northern lands of Europe, and paid his respects 
to his friends in Paris, and bowed himself out of that daz- 
zling sphere of dissipation, to recuperate in a series of mild 
Dutch festivities — mild compared to the mad whirl of fes- 
tive Paris. 

General Grant arrived at the Hague in safety, and was 
met by Minister Birney, and, with Mrs. Grant, took up his 
residence, by special invitation, in the latter gentleman's 
house. 

Immediately upon the ex-President's arrival — almost 
before he had time to repose himself after his journey — in- 
vitations began to pour in upon him, and the routine of 
dinners, receptions, balls and visits began anew. On 
Monday evening Minister Birney entertained his distin- 
quished guest at a splendid dinner, which proved to be one 
of the great events of the season. Preparations on a large 
scale had been made for this occasion, which was a grati- 
fying success in every respect. 

All the members of the diplomatic corps in the city were 
present at this dinner, which was rendered still more brill- 
iant by the presence of the wives and lady friends of the 



'Cisi 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 3I3 

diplomats. After the dinner, which went off joyously, a 
splendid reception was given, in which the court circle, with 
its picturesque retinue of noble ladies and gentlemen, most 
of the members of Parliament, and other distinguished 
guests, participated. General Grant was, of course, the 
centre of attraction, and was treated with marked deference 
and honors. His manly, soldier-like bearing was admired 
on all sides, and every one was desirous of making his ac- 
quaintance. The reception continued until the small hours 
of morning, and was thoroughly enjoyable from beginning 
to end. 

On Tuesday evening a similar dinner was given in honor 
of the General at the residence of the Minister of For- 
eign Affairs, Baron de Heckeven de Kell. This was also 
followed by a reception no less brilliant than its predecessor. 

On the same day General Grant accepted an invitation to 
visit His Royal Highness Prince Frederic, uncle of the 
King. He chose the forenoon for the purpose of paying 
his respects to the Prince, who entertained him generously 
at a private dejeuner. After this friendly repast, the Prince 
ordered his carriage and had his guest driven through the 
spacious and beautiful grounds of the estate. A call was 
also made on Prince Alexander, son of the King. 

Each day was destined to bring its separate enjoyment. 
Wednesday was set apart for a parade of a portion of the 
troops of Holland, and the General was invited to review 
these sturdy Dutch soldiers, whose martial bearing im- 
pressed him very favorably. A large number of distin- 
guished ladies and gentlemen were present at the review, 
and the scene was exceedingly picturesque and attractive. 
The troops looked their best, and marched with fine pre- 
cision and dignity. 

The General limited his stay at The Hague, although he 
expressed a hope that he might return there before his de- 
parture. He then took the train for Rotterdam, where he 



3T4 GENERAI. U, S. GRANt's 

arrived in a short time. He was received by the Burgo- 
master of that city, and was escorted around and show'n va- 
rious objects of interest by this dignitary. The Burgomas- 
ter gave a dinner in his honor, to which a great many of 
the principal citizens were invited. The affair was very 
social and cordial. 

On Thursday the General made his way into the fa- 
mous city of Amsterdam, where he was greeted by throngs 
of people, who welcomed him in a truly enthusiastic man- 
ner. Several prominent citizens escorted him about, and 
extended to him an invitation for dinner on Saturday eve- 
ning. His residence in Amsterdam, although necessarily 
short, was as pleasant as could have been desired. 

General Grant's flying tour on Dutch territory was 
marked by attentions as gracious and as flattering as any he 
had yet received. In the steady, plodding cities of Hol- 
land, the phlegmatic citizens had been excited to enthusi- 
asm by the presence of the ex-Pi-esident, and signified their 
admiration of his character and achievements by crowd- 
ing the streets which he passed. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



GRANT IN GERMANY, NORWAY, SWEDEN, RUSSIA 
AND AUSTRIA. 

On Wednesday, June 26, General Grant and party 
arrived at Berlin, Minister Taylor having met them at 
Stendahl, sixty miles below Berlin. 

On the evening" of his coming, he strolled along the 
Unter den Linden, and his Berlin visit may be summed up 
in this sentence, that he walked the greater part of each day, 
and there was not a quarter of Berhn that he did not explore 
on foot with an energy as sightseer which no amount 
of exertion seemed to diminish. The General had an 
early interview with the members of the Congress of 
great diplomats assembled in Berlin to settle the Eastern 
question. 

At an interview with Prince Gortschakoff, the General, 
in company with Mr. Taylor, calling at the Prince's request 
(as the gout prevented the Prince calling on the General), 
Gortschakoff said that Russia would be glad to see and 
welcome the General, and he seemed delighted with the 
visit. Of the members of the Congress, Lord Beaconsfield, 
Lord Salisbury, M. Waddington and Count Corti were 
known to tlje General. Mehemet Ali he had met in 
Turkey. Visits were exchanged with these gentlemen and 
with the other members of the Congress. 

Among the first calls left on the General was that of 
Prince Bismarck, and as it did not find him at home it was 
left again. As the General was anxious to see the Prince, 

3»5 



316 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

for whose character and services he had so high an admira- 
tion, he returned these calls at once, and sent His Highness 
a message saying that he would make his visit at any time 
that would suit the Prince, whom he knew to be a busy 
and an ill man. 

The afternoon at four was the hour named for the visit, 
and, as the' General lives within a few moments' walk of the 
Bismarck Palace, at five minutes to four he slowly saun- 
tered through the Frederick Place. The Frederick Place 
is a small square, with roads and flowers and some famous 
old trees, laid out in memory of the great Frederick. It is 
decorated with statues of his leading generals. Everything 
runs to war in Germany, and the prevailing religion is 
swordsmanship. In this park are bronze statues of Ziethen, 
Seidlitz, Winterfeldt, Keith, Schwerin, and the Prince of 
Dessau. Passing out of the park, on the right, is the palace 
and home of the famous Prince Bismarck. An iron railing 
separates it from the street, and from the roof the flag of the 
German emioire floats in the breeze. 

The General saunters into the courtyard, and the sen- 
tinels eye him a moment curiously, and then present arms„ 
His visit had been expected, but certainly an ex-President 
of the United States would come in a carriage and six, and 
not quietly on foot. Throwing away a half-smoked cigar as 
he raises his hat in honor of the salute, he advances to the 
door, but before he has time to ring, two servants throw 
them open, and he passes into an open marble hall. Of all 
princes now living, this is, perhaps, the most renowned — 
this of Bismarck-Schinhausen — who comes with a swing- 
ing, bending gait through the opened and opening doors, 
with both hands extended, to meet the General. You note 
that time has borne heavily on the Prince these past few 
years. The iron-grey hair and mustache are nearly white; 
there is weariness in the gait, a tired look in the face. But 
all the lines are there that are associated with Bismaick; for 




WADDINGTOX, 
France. 

GORTCHAKOFF, 
Russia. 



BISMARCK, 

Germauy. 

EUROPEAN PRIME MINISTERS. 



BEACONSFIELD, 
Eng-land. 
ANDRASSY. 
Austria. 



tOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 3*9 

if ever manhood, courage, intellect are written on a man's 
face by his Creator, they are written on this face of the 
German Chancellor. There is the lofty station, which 
seems to belong to the Bismarck stamp of men, the hold 
outlines of the brain, under which empires have found their 
fate, the frank, intrepid, penetrating eye, and in that firmly 
knit mouth the courage of the Saxon race. The Prince 
wore an officer's uniform, and, on taking the General's 
hand, said, " Glad to welcome General Grant to Germany." 

The General answered that there was no incident in his 
German visit that more interested him than this opportu- 
nity of meeting the Prince. Bismarck expressed surprise 
at seeing the General so young a man, but on a compari- 
son of ages it was found that Bismarck was only seven 
years the General's senior. 

" That," said the Prince, " shows the value of a military 
life; for here you have the frame of a young man, while I 
feel like an old man." 

The General, smiling, announced that he was at that 
period of life when he could have no higher compliment 
than being called a young man. By this time the Prince 
had escorted the General to a chair. 

It was his library or stud\-, and an open window looked 
out upon a beautiful park, upon which the warm June sun 
was shinirtg. This is the private park of the Radziwill 
Palace, which is now Bismarck's Berlin home. The library 
is a large, spacious room, the walls a gray marble, and the 
furniture plain. In one corner is a large and high writing- 
desk, where the Chancellor works, and on the varnished 
floors a few rugs are thrown. The Prince speaks English 
with precision, but slowly, as though lacking in practice, 
now and then taking refuge in a French word, but showing 
a thorough command of the language. 

After inquiring after the health of General Sheridan, 
who was a fellow-campaigner in France, and became a 



320 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

great friend of Bismarck's, they discussed the Eastern ques- 
tion, military armament and strength, and the late atrocious 
attempt to assassinate the Emperor, giving the two great 
men an opportunity to discuss this phase of socialism. In 
speaking of this attempt on the life of the Emperor, the 
Prince paid this glowing tribute to the Emperor: 

" It is so strange, so strange and so sad. Here is an old 
man — one of the kindest old gentlemen in the world — and 
yet they must try and shoot him! There never was a more 
simple, more genuine, more — what shall I say? — more 
humane character than the Emperor's. He is totally un- 
like men born in his station, or many of them, at least. You 
know that men who come into the world in his rank, born 
princes, are apt to think themselves of another race and 
another world. They are apt to take small account of the 
wishes and feelings of others. All their education tends to 
deaden the human side. But this Emperor is so much of a 
man in all things! He never did any one a wrong in his 
life. He never wounded any one's feelings ; never imposed 
a hardship! He is the most genial and winning of men — 
thinking always, anxious always for the comfort and well- 
fare of his people, of those around him. You cannot con- 
ceive a finer type of the noble, courteous, charitable old 
gentleman, with every high quality of a prince, as well as 
every virtue of a man. T should have supposed that the 
Emperor ccnild have walked alone all over the Empire 
without harm, and yet they must try and shoot him." 

The Prince asked the General when he might have the 
pleasure of seeing Mrs. Grant. The General answered 
that she would receive him at any convenient hour. 

"Then," said the Prince, "I will come to-morrow 
before the Congress meets." 

Both gentlemen arose, and the General renewed the ex- 
pression of his pleasure at,.having seen a man who was 
so well known and so highly esteemed in America. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 32I 

"General," answered the Prince, "the pleasure and the 
honor are mine. Germany and America have always been 
in so friendly a relation that nothing delights us more than 
to meet Americans, and especially an American who has 
done so much for his country, and whose name is so much 
honored in Germany as your own." 

The Prince and the General walked side by side to the 
door, and after shaking hands the General passed into the 
square. The guard presented arms, and the General lit 
a fresh cigar and slowly strolled home. 

"I am glad I have seen Bismarck," he remarked. "He 
is a man whose manner and bearing fully justify the opin- 
ions one forms of him. What he says about the Emperor 
was beautifully said, and should be known to all the Ger- 
mans and those who esteem Germany." 

Notable, also, among incidents of the Berlin stay, was a 
quiet, informal reception given to the General by Mr. Tay- 
lor, American Minister. Mr. Taylor was not aware of the 
General's coming until a day or two before his arrival, and 
the news found him ai> ill man. Then he had had no per- 
sonal acquaintance with the General, and if his home 
political sympathies ran in one direction more than another 
it was not in the direction of the General. Mi. Taylor 
regretted that the state of mourning in which the attempt 
on the Emperor's life had thrown Berlin, and the presence 
of the Congress, prevented his entertaining the General in 
a more ostentatious manner, JBut he made all the arrange- 
ments with the Court, and gave the General an evening 
party, which all the Americans in Berlin attended. The 
evening was enjoyable and interesting. The next day there 
was a small dinner party at the Embassy, and, in addition, 
there was a great deal of going around and seeing Berlin 
in a quiet way, which form of foreign life the General en- 
joys beyond any other. 



3^2 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

Tlie Crown Prince sent word to General Grant asking 
liini to name an hour when he would review some troops 
in all arms. The General answered that any hour most 
convenient for the troops would be pleasant to iiim. So it 
was arranged at half-past seven in the morning. Tiie 
General asked Mr. Coleman, of the Legation, to be one of 
his company. It had rained all night, a heavy, pitching, 
blowing rain, and when the morning came the prayers 
which Mr. Coleman had been offering up all night for 
better weather ^vere found to have availed not. The 
General himself had a severe cold and a chill, which had 
been hanging over him for two days, and when he arose 
he could scarcely speak. There was a suggestion that the 
review be postponed. But the troops were under way, and 
the General would not hear of the suggestion. The place 
selected was the Tempclhof, a large open field outside of 
Berlin. When General Grant drove on the ground in a 
palace carriage he was met b}' the General commanding 
the Berlin troops and a large staff. A horse from the royal 
stables was in waiting, but the General was suffering so 
much that he would not mount. The rain kept its wild 
way, and the wind swept it in gusts across the open field, 
so much so that in a few moments, even with the protection 
of a carriage, the occupants were all thoroughly drenched. 

The manoeuvres went on all the same. There was a 
sham fight witii infantrv, all the incidents of a real battle 
— moving on the flank, in skirmish line, firing and re- 
treating, firing and advancing. Then came the order to 
fix bayonets and charge at double quick, the soldiers shout- 
ing and cheering as they advanced with that ringing cheer 
which, somehow, no one hears but in Saxon lands, and 
which stirs the blood like a trumpet. General Grant was 
attended bv Major Isfd, an inte!!i<rent officer. The General 
complimented the movements of the troops highly. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



323 



After the manoeuvres and the sham fi^ht, there was a 
march past, the General reviewing the Hne with bared 
head, to which the pitiless rain showed no mercy. 

" These are fine soldiers," he said, and thanked the com- 
mander for his courtesy. 

Then came artillery practice, the guns firing and sweep- 
ing over the field in a whirling, mad pace. This was fol- 
lowed by an artillery march past, which the General 
reviewed on foot, the rain still beating down. 

Then came cavalry. This was the most interesting 
phase of the display, especially one movement, where the 
battalion broke into disorder and rallied again. 

" This," said the Major, " we do to accustom our men to 
the contingency of disorder on the field, and enable every 
man to know how to take care of himself." 

The movement was effective and beautiful, and showed, 
said the General, the highest state of discipline. It was 
followed by a charge and a march past, the General, on foot, 
reviewing, and the rain whirling like a gust. 

After this they all di-ove to a military hospital and 
inspected it. Then to the quarters of a cavalry regiment, 
under the command of the Prince of Hohenzollern. The 
General was received by the officers, and went carefully 
through the quarters. After inspection there was a quiet 
mess-room lunch and a good deal of military talk, which 
showed that the General had not forgotten his trade. 

The General, at the close of the lunch, asked permis- 
sion to propose the prosperity of the regiment and the 
health of the Colonel. It was a regiment of which any 
army would be proud, and he hoped a day of trial would 
never come; but, if it did, he was sure it would do its part 
to maintain the ancient success of the Prussian army. He 
also desired to express his thanks to the Crown Prince for 
the pains that had been taken to show him this sample of 
his magnificent army. 



324 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

The Prince answered in German, which Major Igel 
translated, tliat he was much compHmented by the Gen- 
eral's toast, and that the annals of his regiment would 
always record the pride they felt in having had at their 
mess and as their guest so illustrious a leader. This closed 
the military services of the day. 

About midday a coupe stopped at the door of Minister 
Taylor's residence, and Prince Bismarck descended and 
touched his hat to the crowd. He wore a full militarv uni- 
form, a gilded helmet covering his brows, and was con- 
ducted to the apartments of the General, who presented the 
Prince to his wife and Mrs. Taylor, the wife of the Minis- 
ter. The Prince expressed again his satisfaction at seeing 
General Grant and his wife in Germany, and hoped Mrs. 
Grant would carry home the best impressions of the coun- 
try. It had been raining, and the skies were heavy with 
clouds, and the General himself, suffering from a cold, had 
been sitting in a carriage for two hours, the rain beating 
in his face, watching horsemen, artillery and infantry march 
and countermarch over me i empelhof grounds. Altogether 
it had been a trying day, and everybody felt cheerless and 
damp. But IVIrs. Grant has a nature that would see as 
much sunshine in Alaska as in Italy, on whose temper rain 
or snow never makes an impression, and she told His High- 
ness how delighted she was with Germanv, with Potsdam 
and the Crown Prince, and more especially the Crown 
Princess, whose motherly, womanly ways had won quite a 
jDlace in her womanly, motherly heart. They had had 
pleasant talks about children and households and wedding 
anniversaries, and domestic manners in Germany, and had 
no doubt exchanged a world of that sweet and sacred in- 
formation which ladies like to bestow on one another in the 
confidence of friendly con\ersation. Moreover, ^he was 
pleased to see Prince Bismarck, and expressed that pleasure, 
and there was a half hour of the pleasantest talk, not about 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 325 

politics or wars or statesmanship, but on very human 
themes. 

The gentler side of the Prince came into play, and one 
who was present formed the oj^inion that there was a very 
sunny side to the man of blood and iron. As two o'clock 
drew near, the Prince arose and said: " I must go to my 
Congress, for, you see, although the business does not con- 
cern us greatly, it is business that must be attended to." 
The General escorted the Prince, and as he descended the 
crowd had become dense, for Bismarck rarely appears in 
public, and all Berlin honors him as foremost among Ger- 
man men. 

On July II, the General dined with the Prince. The 
invitation card w^as in German, not French — a large, plain 
card, as follows: 



FUERSTVON BISMARCK 
beehrt sich General U. S. GRANT zum Diner am Montag, 
den I, Juli, um 6 Unr, ganz ergebenst einzuladen. 
U. A. w. g 



The menu was in French. 

MENU. 

LuNDi, le ler juillet. 

Potage Mulligatawny. 

Pates a la financiere. 

Turbot d'Ostende a I'Anglaise. 

Quartier de boeuf a la Holsteinaise. 

Canetons aux olives. 

Ris de veau a la Milanaise. 

Punch romain. 

Poulardes de Bruxelles. 

Salade. Compotes. 

Fonds d'artichauts a la Hollandaise. 

Pain de Fraises a la Chantilly. 

Glaces. 

Dessert. 

The General, with his military habits of promptness, 

entered the palace at six precisely, accompanied by his wife. 



326 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

Mr. Bayard Ta3'lor, the jSIinister, and Mrs. Taylor, and H. 
Sidney Everett, the Secretary of Legation. The Prince 
and Princess Bismarck, and the Countess Marie GrafinVon 
Bismarck, accompanied by the Prince's two sons, met the 
General at the door of tlie salon and presented him to the 
various guests. There was a hearty greeting for the Min- 
ister and his party, and the Princess and Mrs. Grant were 
soon on the waves of an animated conversation. The 
company numbered about thirty, and a few moments after 
the General's arrival dinner was announced. The Prince 
led the way, escorting Mrs. Grant, who sat on his right, 
with Mrs. Taylor on his left, the General and the Princess 
vis-a-vis^ with Mr. Von Schlozer, the German Minister at 
Washington, between. The remainder of the company 
were members of the Cabinet and high persons in Berlin. 

About half-past seven, or later, the dinner was over, 
and the company adjourned to another room. 

General Grant had several interviews with Bismarck, 
and the interchange of opinion and criticism took a wide 
range, and seemed to strengthen the high opinion each had 
for the other. The contrast between the two faces was a 
jtudy; no two faces, of this generation, at least, have been 
rnore widely drawn. In expression Bismarck has what 
might be an intense face, a moving, restless eye, that might 
flame in an instant. His conversation is irregular, rapid, 
audacious, with gleams of humor, saying the oddest and 
frankest things, and enjoying anything that amuses him so 
much that, frequently, he will not, cannot finish the sen- 
tence, for laughing. Grant, whose enjoyment of humor is 
keen, never passes beyond a smile. In conversation he 
talks his theme directly out with care, avoiding no detail, 
correcting himself if he slips in any, exceedingly accurate 
in statement, and who always talks well, because he never 
talks about what he does not know. 

One notes in comparing the two faces how much more 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 327 

youth there is in that of Grant than of I^ismarck. Grant's 
face was tired enough two years ago, when fresh from tliat 
witches' (hnne of an Electoral Commission — it had that 
weary look which you see in Bismarck's, hut it has gone, 
and of the two men one would certainly deem Grant the 
junior by twenty years. 

Mr. Taylor, the American Minister, was evidently 
impressed with the historical value of the meeting of Grant 
and Bismarck. He remembered a German custom that 
you can never cement a friendship without a glass of old- 
fashioned schnapps. There was a bottle of a famous 
schnapps cordial, among other bottles — no matter how old 
it was — and the Minister said, " General, no patriotic Ger- 
man will believe that there can ever be lasting friendship 
between Germany and the United States unless yourself 
and the Prince pledge eternal amity between all Germans 
and Americans over a glass of this schnapps." The Prince 
laughed, and thanked the Minister for the suggestion. 
The schnapps was poured out, the General and Prince 
touched glasses, and the vows were exchanged in hearty 
fashion. 

General Grant arriv^ed at Gothenburg on the 12th of July. 
He was met by a crowd of over five thousand people, 
who cheered londh' for him of whom they had heard so 
much. The Swedes, who have emigrated in such large 
numbers to the United States, have spread his fame among 
their countrymen at home. The ships in the harbor were 
all decorated in his honor. He passed the day in Gothen- 
bui-g, and then continued his journey to Christiana. All 
the villages along the route were decorated, and his com- 
ing was made the occasion of a gala day. 

He landed at Christiana on the 13th, and was received 
with great ceremony. Ten thousand people flocked to 
greet him. King Oscar H. came to Christiana from Stock- 



328 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



holm to meet the General, and gave him a dinner and a 
reception. 

The General set out sightseeing, and was conducted to 
the old castle of Aggershuus, with its citadel and church 
on the brow of a point jutting out into the fiord, over whose 
winding shore-line and smooth waters, broken by wooded 
islands, it gives a fine view. 

The reception of the ex-President throughout Scandi- 
navia was enthusiastic and remarkable, everywhere the 
citizens turning out en tnasse to welcome and honor him. 
At Stockholm, on the 24th, he was tendered a grand state 
banquet and dinner at the Embassy, and was serenaded, 
and a large crowd assembled and cheered him as he 
embarked for Russia. 

General Grant arrived at St. Petersburg July 30. On 
arriving in the Russian capital, he was met by Minister 
Stoughton, whose wonderful coronal of snowy locks never 
shone more magnificently over his rosy cheeks. 

The Emperor's Aid-de-Camp, Prince GortschakofF, an^ 
other high ofnciais 01" t"ii« i.riperiai court, called immedi- 
attily, welcoming the ex-President in the name of the Czar. 

On the following day General Grant had an audience 
with the Emperor Alexander, which was of a pleasant 
nature. 

The imperial yacht conveyed the General to Peterhof. 
the Verseilles of St. Petersburg. It is fifteen miles from 
the capital, but it has one advantage over the old French 
royal extra-mural residence in that, from the imperial palace, 
one has almost urivaled views over Cronstadt and the Gulf 
of Finland, and of the capital itself. The fountains were 
played in honor of the visit. 

He afterward visited the great Russian man-of-war, 
Peter the Great. The band played American airs, and a 
royal salute of twenty-one guns was fired. The imperial 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 329 

yacht then steamed slowly among the Russian fleet lying 
off Cronstadt, the ships running out American colors, and 
the sailors cheering. 

Subsequently the General had an interview with the 
Czar at St. Petersburg. The Emperor manifested great 
cordiality. The General was presented by Prince Gort- 
schakofF. His Majesty talked of his health and the Gen- 
eral's travels. He seemed greatly interested in our national 
wards, the Indians, and made several inquiries as to their 
mode of warfare. 

At the close of the interview, the Emperor accompanied 
General Grant to the door, saying: — 

" Since the foundation of your government, the rela- 
tions between Russia and America have been of the friend- 
liest character; and as long as I live nothing shall be spared 
to continue that friendship." 

The General answered that, although the two govern- 
ments were directly opposite in character, the great major- 
ity of the American people were in sympathy with Russia- 
and would, he hoped, so continue. 

At the station, General Grant met the Grand, Duke 
Alexis, who was very cordial, recalling with pleasure his 
visits to America. 

A visit was also made to the great Chancellor, Prince 
Gortschakoff, with whom the General spent some hours, 
smoking and discussing American and European afTairs. 

The Czarowitch also received General Grant at sj^ecia] 
audience. 

The French Ambassador gave a dinner to the General, 
and there was a special review of the fire brigade in his 
honor. The attentions of the Emperor and the authorities 
were so marked that he prolonged his stay several days. 

On the 9th instant he was in Moscow, the ancient capital 
of Russia. He dined with Prince Dogoroff on the loth, 



330 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

was at Warsaw the 13th. At all of these cities he was 
received with the same marked cordiality, and his visit 
recalled with feelings of pleasure. 

On the iSth our ex-President arrived at Vienna. At 
the railroad station he w\as met by Minister Kasson, the 
secretaries and members of the American Legation, and a 
large number of the American residents. He w"as loudly 
cheered as he stepped out of the railway carriage. 

On the 19th the General was visited at the Legation of 
the United States by Count Andrassy, the First Minister 
of the Council, and several colleagues. In the evening he 
dined with the Countess and Mrs. Grant at Post's. On 
the 20th he had an audience of His Imperial Majesty Fran- 
cis Joseph, at the lovely palace of Schoenbrunn, spending 
the remainder of the day driving about the imperial 
grounds and forests, and visiting points of interest in that 
romantic and historic neighborhood. 

On the 2 1st General and Mrs. Grant were entertained 
by the imperial family, and dined with the Emperor in the 
evening. During the morning Baron Steinberg accom- 
panied the Emperor's American guests to the Arsenal. 

On the 22d Minister Kasson gave a diplomatic dinner 
in honor of our ex-President, at which nearly all the for- 
eign Ambassadors were present. The members of the 
Austro-Hungarian Cabinet attended the reception in the 
evening, and added to the attractiveness and brilliancy ot 
the occasion. The General expressed himself greatly 
pleased with Vienna, and thought it a charming city. He 
was gratified also at the marked attentions of the Emperor's 
household, and the earnest endeavor shown to honor him 
as a citizen of the Unitetl States. 

On September 23 General (jrant was at Zurich, and 
dined with the American Consul, S. H. Bjers, at the Hotel 
Bauer. Among the distinguished quests were Burgomas- 



TOUR AROl'XD THE WORLD. 33 1 

ter Roemcr, of Zurich; Fccr-Hcrzog, a National Council- 
lor; the German poet, Kinkel; General Vogelli, of the 
Swiss army; Mr. Nicholas Fish, the American Charge 
d'Affaircs at Bcrnc, and many prominent Swiss citizens. 

When the cloth was removed, Consul Byers, after a few 
appropriate remarks, asked his guests to drink the health 
of his renowned countryman, "who, having led half a mil- 
lion of men to victory, and having governed a great nation 
for eight years, needs no praise from me." General Grant's 
health was then drank with all the honors. The Burgo- 
master expressed, in a brief and haj^py speech, the interest 
with which the Swiss people followed General Grant's 
career as a soldier and as President of the great Republic, 
and said that the honor done and the pleasure given to the 
citizens of Zurich by ex-President Grant's visit was very 
great. 

In response, General Grant expressed a deep sense of 
pleasure and honor at meeting such distinguished Swiss 
gentlemen. He thanked the citizens of Zurich, through 
their Mayor, for their cordial reception, which he regarded 
as a symbol of the good feeling existing between the two 
countries. The General concluded by proposing the health 
of the President of the Federal Council and nation, and 
the prosperity of the city of Zurich. 

Feer-Herzog replied in an eloquent allusion to the 
amity existing between the two countries, and ended by 
proposing the health of President Hayes. Mi\ Nicholas 
Fish responded, testifying to " the memory cherished by 
all true United States citizens of the Switzers who fought 
and died during the American war — giving their lives and 
services from the pure, unselfish svmpath^' of their hearts 
and their inborn love of freedom. The acts of those heroes 
are to Americans the guarantee of Switzerland's sympathy 
in the hour of need and of despair." 

Other speeches were made, and the dinner was, alto- 



332 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



gether, a thoroughly enjoyable occasion. In every respect 
General Grant's reception in the land of William Tell has 
been as hearty as in any place in Europe. The General 
left for Paris the followinjj- morning:. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



GENERAI. GRANT IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 

General Grant arrived at the French capital on Septem- 
ber 2-5, from Belfort. He was met at the station by 
Minister Noyes, ex-Governor Fairchild, ex-Governor Mc- 
Cormick, and other American officials. The General was 
In excellent health and spirits, antl had experienced so little 
fatigue during his journey that, after dining cu famillc, he 
strolletl along the boulevards for more than two hours. 

A strand dinner was given to the ex-President October 
3 by Mr. Edward F. Noyes, the United States Minister, at 
the Legation. Among the invited guests were the follow- 
ing distinguished Americans: General and Mrs. Grant, 
John Welsh, Minister to England; John A. Kasson, Min- 
ister to Austria; J. Meredith Read, Charge d'Affiiires to 
Greece; General Hazen, United States Army; General 
Lucius Fairchild, Consul-General at Paris; ex-Governor 
McCormick, Commissioner-General to the Paris Exposi- 
tion; ex-Governor Smith, of New Hampshire, and Miss 
Waite, daughter of the Chief Justice of the Supreme 
Court of the United States. 

General Grant, having abandoned his contemplated 
trip to India for the present, concluded to remain in Paris 
and vicinit\- for the winter, and planned a month's tour 
through Spain, Portugal and Algiers. 

The ex-President and party arrived in Vitloria, liav- 
ing entered Spain from France by the Bayonne route. 
The little town of Lrun, which is just over the frontier, 
1 333 



334 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

afforded the first glimpse of Spanish Ufe and character. 
Its neat railway station was draped with flags and bunting, 
and on the platform was a group of officers of the royal 
guard, standing apart from those privileged citizens who 
had been admitted within the barriers. Beyond, clearly 
seen through the gates and station windows, struggling for 
a glimpse of the distinguished visitor, were the villagers 
and the country people, who, denied admission to the yard, 
were none the less active in their demonstrations of curi- 
osity. 

As the train drew up at the platform, General Grant 
alighted from his carriage. The ranking officer of the del- 
egation, a general on the staff of Alfonzo XII., advanced, 
and, saluting the visitor, welcomed him, in the King's name, 
to the Iberian Peninsula. He stated that he was directed 
by His Majesty to place at the General's disposal the special 
railway carriage of the King, and to beg an acceptance of 
the same. General Grant expressed his thanks in a few 
words, and accepted the proffered courtesy. The train 
moved out of the little village toward the war-begrimed 
city of San Sebastian — the last stronghold of the Carlists. 

At San Sebastian, General Grant was received by 
Emilio Castelar, ex-President of the Spanish Republic. 
To the well known statesman and journalist, General Grant 
was exceedingly cordial. He concluded his remarks by 
saying: ''Believe me, sir, the name of Castelar is espe- 
cially honored in America." Here, as at Irun, were gath- 
ered many people to see General Grant, and he was 
presented to the town officials and the distinguished citi- 
zens. The contracted harbor reflected the green of the 
tree-covered hills that encircle it so nearly, and beyond the 
cone-like isle at its mouth was the sheen of the noonday sun 
on the Bay of Biscay. 

Leaving this place, the road leads southward toward 
Tolosa and Vergarai At both of these stations a squad of 



TOUR AKOl'Nl) TllK WORLD. 335 

soldiers was stationed. The usual military guard had been 
doubled in hoiioi- of the American General. After wind- 
ing about the hills beyond the station of Tolosa, the train 
suddenly leaves the defiles behind and smoothly skirts the 
side of a great hill, giving the occupants of the carriages a 
grand view to the southward. Near at hand are seen the 
peaks of the Pyrenees — only the extreme western spur of 
the range, to be sure, but very formidable looking barriers 
to railway engineering. Altogether, the journey is a 
charming, Swiss-like ride, creeping, as the traveler does, 
through what were once dangerous mountain paths, and 
where, even yet, the railway coaches are alternately in the 
wildest forests of scraggy pine and the long-leaved chestnut. 

Passing the summit, the descent southward is soon 
marked by a radical change in the aspect of the country. 
Villages are met more frequently, until, winding toward 
the west through the Welsh-looking hills, the train dashes 
into Vittoria. Here the General was received on alighting 
by the civil and military authorities attached to the King's 
military and civil staff. He repaired at once to his hotel. 
The annual mancEuvres of the Spanish army were being 
held here, and the King and his entire staff were in Vittoria. 
At night the General strolled out through the tangled 
streets of the old part of the town. He inspected the 
bazaars in the Plaza Nueva, and the pretty streets in the 
new portion of the city. The Alameda was crowded 
with people, and the General seemed to enjoy the life al 
fresco almost as much as the citizens of the capital of Alava. 

The following morning General Grant was received by 
King Alfonzo at the Ayuntamiento^ or residence of the 
Alcade, quite a palace in its exterior and interior adorn- 
ments. The King, who speaks English fluently, said that 
he had long had a curiosity to meet the General, whose 
civil and military career was so familiar to him. He said 
there was no man living whom Spain would more gladly 



33^ GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

honor. The interview was long and cordial, and much 
good feeling was shown on both sides. 

At eleven o'clock, General Grant, King Alfonzo and a 
splendid retinue of generals, left the King's official resi- 
dence to witness the manoeuvres that were to take place on 
the historic field of Vittoria, where the French, under 
Joseph Bonaparte and Jourdan, were finally crushed in 
Spain by the allies, under Wellington (June 21, 1S13). 

King Alfonzo and General Grant rode at the head of 
the column side by side. His Majesty pointing out the objects 
of interest to the right and the left, and, when the vicinity 
of the famous field was reached, halting for a few minutes 
to indicate to his guest the locations of the different armies 
on that famous June morning. As they proceeded thence, 
General Concha was called to the side of the King and 
introduced to General Grant. Several other distinguished 
officers were then presented. The weather was very fine, 
and the scene was one of great interest to the American 
visitor. General Grant spent all day on horseback, wit- 
nessing the manoeuvres. 

The King and his guest, returned to the city late in the 
afternoon. At night he dined with the King, and the next 
day General Grant reviewed the troops, and at night 
he left for Madrid. Altogether, both at the palace 
and on the field, General Grant's reception was royal in 
pomp and attention, and will be likely to impress the 
reader with the opinion that in no country has the reception 
of our great soldier been more free, manly and royal than 
in Spain. Met at the frontier by representatives of His 
Majesty, escorted to the presence of the monarch, shown a 
review on the battlefield of Vittoria, and treated in all ways 
as the especial guest of the sovereign, the ex-President cer- 
tainly received in this case every mark of consideration and 
honor that a king could bestow upon a visitor. General 
Grant, it is true, has expressed in Europe the sense of his 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 33^ 

satiety with the military shows of hfc, and they might have 
hit his individual taste more accurately in some other way; 
yet a review on a famous hattlefield is a piece of historic 
pageantry aside from ordinary reviews; and an honor in 
which history itself is called upon to pay tribute to a visitor 
is not to be had every day. 

The General was especially favored in the conditions un- 
der which he has visited the various nations of Europe, 
meeting all its great statesmen on friendly terms. Bea- 
consfield, Bismarck, Gortschakoff, Gambetta and others 
have chatted with him familiarly, and he has heard much 
from them about the socialists and their crazy theories. In 
Berlin he heard from Bismarck's lips his hot indignation 
over the recent wounding of the Emperor, and now in 
Spain he actually witnesses an attempt on the life of a king. 
With all the horror of the crime and contempt of the crimi- 
nals which must have entered his mind, he has, doubtless, 
pondered over the state of society in Europe which makes 
these atrocious attempts seem epidemic. He must have 
recognized a social disease, to diagnose which the statesmen 
he met did not bring unbiassed minds. It would be curi- 
ous to know his impressions on the subject of misgovern- 
ment in Europe. 

The excitement occasioned by the attempt on King 
Alfonso's life was intense. The criminal fired from the 
sidewalk in front of house No. 93 Calle Mayor, not far 
from the arched entrance to the Plaza Mayor. He aimed 
too low, however, and the ball passed through the hand of 
a soldier standing guard on the opposite side of the street. 
The King saw the flash, and, with an involuntary move- 
ment of his hand, checked his horse momentarily. He 
then rode tranquilly onward toward the palace. Several 
women who were standing near the man who fired pointed 
him out with loud cries, and he was at once secured. He 
did not make the slightest attempt to escape. Terrible in- 



33^ GENERAL U. S, GRANt's 

dignation was manifested among the people forming the 
crowd that ahnost immediately gathered from the bazaars 
and the markets in the Plaza Mayor — that doleful old en- 
closed square, where the autos da fe and the Jiestas reales 
took place during and even since the days of the Inquisi- 
tion, but now given over to the venders of dates, pome- 
granates and base metal jewelry. Attempts were made to 
wreak summary vengeance upon the assassin when he was 
on his way to the Gobierno Civil. Thence he was soon 
removed to the Captain- Generalcy. 

The prisoner displayed great coolness during his com- 
mitment. He insolently drew a cigar from his pocket, 
which, after having struck a match, he coolly lit and began 
to smoke. He is a very thin man, of medium height, wears 
a light mustache, and has his hair closely cropped. He 
admitted the crime, and triumphantly declared himself a 
socialist and internationalist; but, when interrogated as to 
who his accomjDlices were, denied that he had acted in con- 
cert with any one. He said that he came alone from Tara- 
gona jDurjDosely to kill a king. This was his first serious 
disappointment in life. 

General Grant was standing, when the shot was fired, at 
a window of the Hotel de Paris (situated at the junction of 
the Carrera San Geronimo and the Calle de Alcala), over- 
looking the Puerta del Sol. This hotel is a long distance 
from the scene of the attack, liut looks across the great cen- 
tral plaza of Madrid, directly down the Calle Mayor. Gen- 
ei'al Grant, who was following with hi-s eyes the progress 
of the royal cavalcade which had just passed across the 
Puerta del Sol before him, said that he clearly saw the flash 
of the assassin's pistol. The General had ah-eady "booked" 
for Lisbon by the night train leaving at seven o'clock, and 
therefore could not in person present his congratulations to 
King Alfonso; but to Senor Silvcra, the Minister of State, 
who called soon after and accompanied him to the railway 



TOUR AUOUND THE WOULD. 



33V 



station, General Grant expressed his sympathies, and re- 
grets that he was unable to postpone his journey in order 
that he might personally call upon His Majesty. He 
begged Senor Silvera to convey to the King his sincere 
congratulations on his escape from the assassin's bullet. 
There was a great gathering of diplomats, nobles and men 
of all parties at the palace to offer congratulations on Friday 
night and Saturday morning. Marshal Serrano (Duke de 
la Torre) was one of the first callers. Minister James 
Russell Lowell and Mr. Ried, Secretary of Legation, called 
at the palace Saturday, and expressed their gratification at 
the King's escape. The King made light of the whole 
affair, but the popular indignation was intense. 

General Grant dined with King Luis at Lisbon, 
November i. All the members of the ministry were present, 
including the Marquis of Avilae Bolama, Minister of State 
and of Foreign Afl^airs; Conseilhero J. de Mello e Gauvea, 
Finance Minister; Conseilhero J. de Sande Magalhaes 
Mexia Salema, Minister of Justice; Conseilhero A. F. de 
Sousa Pinto, Minister of War; the Count De Castro, and 
other members of the judiciary and military departments 
of the kingdom. The palace was gayly trimmed with 
flags, and the day was a festival throughout the city. 

King Luis' reception of the ex-President of the United 
States was very cordial. His Majesty offered the General 
the highest decoration of knighthood known to the king- 
dom. General Grant thanked the King, but said he was 
compelled to decline the honors, as the laws of the United 
States made it impossible for an officer to wear decorations, 
and, although he was not now in office, he preferred to 
respect the law. He thanked His Alajesty heartily for the 
honor intended. King Luis then offered him a copy of his 
translation of " Hamlet " into Portuguese, which (jcneral 
Grant accepted with many thanks. 

Among the pleasantest experiences of his European 



340 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

tour General Grant will certainly rank his cordial reception 
by King Luis at Lisbon. Overshadowed as Portugal is 
politically by the greater power on the Iberian Peninsula, 
it has a sturdy life of its own, which, until thrones are abol- 
ished, it promises to retain. The house of Braganza, which, 
through the stress of circumstances, sent its scions to this 
side of the Atlantic, builded better than it knew. In Brazil 
it found a scope for its usefulness that it could not have 
hoped for in the narrower limits of the parent kingdom. 
The coming of General Grant was, doubtless, quite an im- 
portant event in the somewhat dull routine of court life at 
Lisbon, and everything appears to have been done to make 
it pleasant and memorable for the guest. General Grant's 
polite but firm refusal to accept the highest order of knight- 
hood in the kingdom may have come with a certain shock 
to the monarch, for kings are seldom refused in such matters. 

The ex-President arrived at Seville on the Sth, and was 
received with great honor by the civil and military author- 
ities of the city. The populace showed every mark of 
respect to the distinguished American, and the bearing or 
the officials was most cordial. On Friday he breakfasted 
with the Duke de Montpensier, father of the late Queen 
Mercedes. 

On Tuesday he reached Cadiz. He was received at 
the landing place by the Mayor of the city and the civil 
anil military officials. A guard of honor was in attendance, 
and a large crowd cheered the ex-President as he passed 
out. The reception Avas most enthusiastic on the part of 
the people, and very cordial on that of the authorities. 

On the 17th General Grant and party left Cadiz for 
Gibraltar. The sea was very calm, and the delightful 
voyage was greatly enjoyed by all. The first welcome sight 
to tlie visitors was the American fiag flying from one of 
our nien-of-wai-. There was some trouble in distinguish- 
ing the vessel until a near approach, when old friends 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



341 



were recognized in the persons of Captain Robeson and 
shipmates of the Vandalia. 

The General directed his vessel to steam around the 
Vandalia, and cordial greetings were exchanged between 
the two ships. As they headed into port, the Vandalia 
mounted her yards, and Captain Robeson came in his 
barge to take the General on shore. The American 
Consul, Mr. Sprague, and two officers of Lord Napier's 
staff, met the General and welcomed him to Gibraltar in 
the name of the General commanding. Amid a high sea, 
which threw its spray over most of the party, they pulled 
ashore. On landing, a guard of honor presented arms, and 
the General drove at once to the house of Mr. Sprague, on 
the hill. 

Mr. Sprague has lived many years at Gibraltar, and 
is the oldest consular officer in the service of the United 
States. General Grant was the third ex-President he has 
entertained at his house. Lord Napier, of Magdala, the 
commander at Gibraltar, had telegraphed to Cadiz, ask* 
I'ng the General to dinner on tne evenmg ot his arrival. 
At seven o'clock, the General and Mrs. Grant, accompa- 
nied by the Consul, went to the palace of the Governor, 
called The Convent, and were received in the most hospi- 
table manner by Lord Napier. His Lordship had expressed 
a great desire to meet General Grant, and relations of cour- 
tesy had passed between them before — Lord Napier, who 
commanded the expeditionary force in Abyssinia, having 
sent General Grant King Theodore's bible. The visit to 
Gibraltar may be summed up in a series of dinners — first, 
at the Governor's palace; second, with the mess of the Royal 
Artillery; again, at the Consul's. Then there were one or 
two private and informal dinners at Lord Napier's; and, in 
fact, most of General Grant's time at Gibraltar was spent 
in the company of this distinguished commander — a stroll 
around the batteries, a ride over the hills, a gallop along the 



2^2 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

beach, a review of troops, and taking part in a sham battle. 
Lord Napier was anxious to show General Grant his troops, 
and although, as those who know the General can tes- 
tify, he has a special aversion to military display, he spent 
an afternoon in witnessing a march past of the British gar- 
rison, and afterward a sham battle. It was a beautiful 
day for the manoeuvres. General Grant rode to the field, 
accompanied by Lord Napier, Gen. Conolly, and others of 
the staff". Mrs. Grant, accompanied by the Consul and the 
ladies of the Consul's family, followed, and took up her 
station by the reviewing post. The English bands all 
played American airs out of compliment to the General, 
and the review was given in his honor. Lord Napier was 
exceedingly pleased with the troops, and said to General 
Grant he supposed they were on their best behavior, as he 
had never seen them do so well. The General examined 
them very closely, and said that he did not see how their 
discipline could be improved. " I have seen," said the 
General, "most of the troops of Europe; they all seemed 
good; I liked the Germans very much, and the Spaniards 
only wanted good officers, so for as I could see, to bring 
them up to the highest standard; but these have something 
about them — I suppose it is their Saxon blood — which 
none of the rest possess; they have the swing of conquest." 

The General would have liked to have remained at Gib- 
raltar longer, but there is nothing in the town beyond the 
"•arrison. We suppose his real attraction to the place was 
the pleasure he found in Lord Napier's society, and again 
coming in contact with English ways and customs, after 
having been so long with the stranger. 

General Grant spent several days at Pau, where he was 
engaged in hunting, and making short journeys into the 
Pyrenees. He returned to Paris on the nth of December, 
having accepted the offer of President Hayes to go to India 
on the United States corvette Richmond. The President's 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 343 

offer was made in the most flattering terms. After visiting 
Ireland, his phin was to embark at Marseilles and proceed 
direct to India via the Suez Canal. In no country had the 
great American soldier been more royally received, or 
favored with more noteworthy associations, than in Spain 
and Portugal. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



GENERAL GRANT IN IRELAND. 

(f anything was a moral certainty, it was that when 
General Grant visited Ireland he would meet with a popu- 
lar reception of the most enthusiastic description. That 
he was a great and successful soldier was a high claim upon 
a people with such admiration of the chivalrous; that he 
had led to victory so many thousands of Irishmen and sons 
of Irishmen in the war for the Union, brought him still 
closer to them, for there is scarcely a household in all Ire- 
land that has not some family link with the Irish beyond 
the Atlantic. To him Fame justly ascribes the salvatioL 
of that government and that flag under which the famine- 
stricken, the oppressed and the evicted of Ireland had found 
homes, prosperity and freedom. During the war for the 
Union the people of Ireland prayed, like Lincoln at Get- 
tysburg, that this " government of the people, for the peo- 
ple and by the people, should not perish from the earth." 
They could not fit out ships to fight the Alabamas that En- 
gland was letting go, but they sent out many a sturdy son to 
do battle for the Union. To an immense proportion of the 
Irish people General Grant typifies the republican form of 
government which they hope for. By the officials of the 
British government General Grant was, of course, received 
as a foremost citizen of a friendly power; but it was in its 
popular feature that his visit was the most interesting. 

General Grant and family, accompanied by Minister 
Noyes, arrived in Dublin, by boat, on the morning of 

344 



TOUR AROUND TITE WORLD. 345 

Janunry 3, 1879. The ex-President wjs met by repre- 
sentatives of the corporation. He was driven to tiie Shel- 
bouvne Hotel, and at once prepared to visit the City Hall 
to meet the Lord Mayor. The city was .full of strangers, 
and much enthusiasm was manifested when the General 
and his party left their hotel to drive to the Mansion House. 
On arriving at the Mayor's official residence, they were 
cheered by a large crowd that had gathered to greet the 
illustrious ex-President. The Lord Mayor, in presenting 
the freedom of the city, referred to the cordiality always 
existing between America and Leland, and hoped that in 
America General Grant would do everything he could to 
help a people who sympathize with every American move- 
ment. The parchment, on which was engrossed the free- 
dom of the city, was inclosed in an ancient, carved bog-oak 
casket. 

General Grant appeared to be highly impressed by the 
generous language of the Lord Mayor. He replied: "I 
feel very proud of being made a citizen of the principal city 
of Ireland, and no honor that I have received has given me 
greater satisfaction. I am by birth the citizen of a country 
where there are more Irishmen, native born or by descent, 
than in all Ireland. When in office I had the honor — and 
it was a great one, indeed — of representing more Irishmen 
and descendants of Irishmen than does Her Majesty the 
Queen of England. I am not an eloquent speaker, and can 
simply thank you for the great courtesy you have shown 
me." Three cheers were given for General Grant at the 
close of his remarks, and then three more were added foi: 
the people of the United States. 

Mr. Isaac Butt, the well known home-rule member 
of" Parliament, speaking as the first honorary freeman of 
this city, congratulated General Grant on having consoli- 
dated into peace and harmony the turbulent political and 
sectional elements over which he triumphed as a soldier. 



34^ GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

His speech throughout was highly compUmentary of the 
ex-President. 

In the evening a grand banquet was given in honor of 
the ex- President, over two hundred guests being present. 

The Lord Mayor presided. General Noyes returned 
thanks for a toast to President Hayes' health. When Gen- 
eral Grant's name was proposed, the company arose and 
gave the Irish welcome. 

The ex-President made in response the longest speech 
of his life, speaking in a clear voice, and being listened to 
with rapt attention. He referi'ed to himself and fellow citi- 
zens of Dublin, and intimated, amid much laughter and 
cheering, that he might return to Dublin one day and run 
against Harrington for Mayor, and Butt for Parliament. 
He warned those gentlemen that he was generally a troub- 
lesome candidate. 

Then passing to serious matters, the General said: — 
" We have heard some words spoken about our country — 
my country, before I was naturalized in another. We 
have a very great country, a prosperous country, with room 
for a great many people. We have been suffering for 
some years from very great oppression. The world has 
felt it. There is no question about the fact that, when you 
have forty-five millions of consumers such as we are, and 
when they are made to feel poverty, then the whole world 
must feel it. 

" You have had here great prosperity because of our 
great extravagance and our great misfortunes. We had a 
war which drew into it almost every man who could bear 
arms, and my friend who spoke so eloquently to you a 
few moments ago lost a leg in it. You did not observe 
that, perhaps, as he has a wooden one in place of it. 

"When that great conflict was going on, we were spend- 
ing one thousand million dollars a year more than we were 
producing, and Europe got every dollar of it. It made for 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



347 



you a false prosperity. You were getting our bonds and 
our promises to pav. You were casliing them yourselves. 
That made great prosperity, and made producers beyond 
the real necessities of the world at peace. But we finally 
got through that great conflict, and with an inflated cur- 
rency which was far below the specie you use here. It 
made our people still more extravagant. Our speculations 
were going on, and we still continued to spend three or 
four hundred millions of money per year more than we 
were producing" - 

"We paid it back to you for your labor and manufac- 
tures, and it made you apparently and really prosperous. 
We, on the other hand, were getting really poor, but being 
honest, however, we came to the day of solid, honest pay- 
ment. We came down to the necessity of selling more 
than we bought. Now we have turned the corner. We 
have had our days of depression; yours is just coming on. 
I hope it is nearly over. Our prosperity is commencing, 
and as we become prosperous you will, too, because we 
become increased consumers of your products as well as 
our own. I think it safe to say that the United States, 
with a few years' more such prosperity, will consume as 
much more as they did. Two distinguished men have 
alluded to this subject — one was the President of the 
United States, and he said that the prosperity of the United 
States would be felt to the bounds of the civilized world. 
The other was Lord Beaconsfield, the most far-seeing man, 
the one who seems to me to see as far into the future as 
any man I know, and he says the same as President 
Hayes." 

General Grant's speech created a profound sensation, 
and was loudly cheered during its delivery. 

The following morning ex-President Grant, Mr. Noyes 
and Mr. Badeau visited the Royal Irish Academy, in Kil- 
dare Street, in company with Lord Mayor Barrington, 



34S GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

Here, after some time spent in inspecting the treasures of 
ancient Irish art in gold, silver and bronze, Saint Patrick's 
bell and sacred cross, and O'Donnell's casque, the party 
went to the buildmg that was the old Parliament house. It 
is now the bank of Ireland, and the walls which formerly 
echoed with the eloquence of Grattan, Curran and Plunk- 
ett, now resound with the chaffering of the money 
changers. Trinity College was then visited. The party 
was received by the Provost and Fellows and escorted 
through the library, chapel and halls of this venerable and 
majestic pile. 

General Grant drove to the vice-regal lodge of the 
Duke of Marlborough, Phoenix Park, early in the after- 
noon, where he had dejeuner with the Viceroy. He 
afterward visited the Zoological Gardens, then returned to 
his hotel, where he rested a couple of hours. 

It may be interesting to notice the contrast between the 
generous welcome extended to General Grant by the peo- 
ple of Dublin, and the uncalled-for and spiteful slight aimed 
at him by a clique of the Cork City Council, as showing 
to what lengths sectional and religious agitation are some- 
times carried. The United States Consul at Cork addressed 
a letter to the Council, announcing that Grant would 
probably arrive in Cork within a few days. Mr. Tracy, a 
nationalist, proposed at the Council meeting that the letter 
should simply be marked "read," and that no action should 
be taken. Mr. Harris, a conservative, said : " It will be 
to the interest of our fellow-countrymen in the United 
States if a proper reception is accorded to General Grant, 
who represents the governing party in that country. There 
can be no personal antipathy to the gentleman himself; 
neither was there anything in the government of the ex- 
President objectionable to the Irish people nor unpleasant 
to the Irish in America. Probably General Grant would 
again be at the head of the United States, in which event 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 349 

it would be to the interest of our fellow-countrymen in 
America if proper recognition was given vO General Grant 
on his arrival at Cork." 

Mr. Barry, an extreme nationalist, said the ex-President 
had insulted the Irish people in x\merica. He got up the 
" No Popery " cry there. 

Mr. Tracy said it would be unbecoming for the Catholic 
constituency of Cork to welcome such a man. Tt would 
be ungenerous to refuse him hospitality if he deserved it, 
but he saw nothing in General Grant's career that called 
for sympathy from the Irish nation. He never thought of 
the Irish race as he thought of others, and he went out of 
his way to insult their religion. 

Mr. Dwyer, an advanced nationalist, would not couple 
General Grant's name with America. The Irish who 
sought a refuge and a home in the United States had re- 
ceived kindness and attention from the American people. 
President Grant had never given them the same recogni- 
tion as the other inhabitants. It would be an impropriety 
to pay any mark of respect personally to General Grant. 

Messrs. McSweeny and Creedon, nationalists, spoke to 
the same effect, and with a great shout of " Aye," there 
being no dissenting voices, Cork refused to receive General 
Grant. 

The New York Het-ald^ commenting on this action of 
the City Council of Cork, said: 

" The Town Council of Cork has done more to ad- 
vertise itself in connection with General Grant than the 
municipal authority of any other city in Europe. The 
respectful hospitalities of which the American ex-Presi- 
dent has been the object since he left his native shore* 
nearly two years ago have been so constant, so uniform, 
so unbroken, that the recital of them was beginning to 
pall upon public attention. Monotony at last grows 
•iresome, even if it be a monotony of highly seasoned com- 



350 GENERAL U. S, GRANT's 

pliments. A break of continuity in the long round of 
festive receptions given to General Grant heightens their 
effect by a little dash of contrast. It is like one of those 
rough lines which poets sometimes introduce into their 
compositions to recall attention to the harmony which 
pervades the general structure of their verse." 

" The Town Council of Cork has made a discovery 
which had escaped the rest of Catholic Europe and of 
Catholic Ireland. It proclaims, as a justification of its dis- 
courtesy, that President Grant went out of his way to 
insult its religion. The deeds of General Grant have not 
been done in a corner, and it seems odd enough that it was 
reserved for the Town Council of Cork to detect and pro- 
claim a fact which has escaped the knowledge of Europe and 
America, Our traveling ex- President has been as warmly 
received in Catholic Italy and Spain as in Protestant 
England and Germany; he has been as much honored by 
the Catholic President MacMahon, as by the Protestant, 
Queen Victoria; and even Catholic Dublin has not fidlen 
behind the sister cities of the United Kingdom. The 
Town Council of Cork would seem to be better Catholics 
than the Pope himself. 

" General Grant had decided, before learning of the 
singular action at Cork, that it would not suit his conven- 
ience to pay a visit to that city. He thinks that its author- 
ities have convicted themselves of a strange inattention to 
American history. It is, indeed, well enough known that 
General Grant is not a Catholic; but it is equally well 
known that he is superior to all narrow and illiberal pre- 
judices against members of that communion. His two 
most intimate friends in the army are General Sherman and 
Lieutenant-General Sheridan, both Catholics. He did all in 
his power to advance the interests of these distinguished 
soldiers before he became President, and after his accession 
he promoted ihcm to the two highest positions in the 




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TOUK AROUND THE WORLD. 355 

American army. His zealous fVieiulship was not founded 
on their religion, but their personal qualities; but their 
Catholic connection never abated in the least his generous 
care of their interests. In civil affairs his freedom from 
religious bigotry has been equally genuine, though less con- 
spicuous. He appointed Mr. Thomas Murphy Collector 
of the Port of New York, one of the most important and 
responsible positions in the civil service, and both in office 
and out of office Mr. Murphy was treated by him as an 
intimate personal friend and favorite. 

" We suppose the Cork orators must have heard of 
President Grant's Des Moines speech, in which he declared 
himself in favor of anti-sectarian free schools. But many 
American Catholics are supporters of our common school 
system. The ablest and most distinguished Catholic now in 
public life in this countiy, Senator Kernan, has always been 
a steady friend of our common schools. He was for many 
years the most efficient member of the School Board of 
Utica, the city of his residence. The Town Council of 
Cork has acted on a misconception, and its members have 
reason to be heartily ashamed of their ignorance, as well 
as of their illiberality and discourtesy." 

This action of the city of Cork produced a profound 
sensation throughout Ireland, the people looking at it as a 
violation of the rites of hospitality. General Grant smiled 
when told of the action of the Cork Councilmen, and said 
he was sorry the Cork people knew so little of American 
history. 

The respectable liberals and conservatives of the city 
and county of Cork were indignant at the action of the 
clique in the Council who insulted ex-President Grant. An 
ex-Mayor of the city said: " The obstructionists who op- 
posed a cead mille failthe to General Grant are not worth 
a decent man rubbing up against. It is a pity that the 
General has determined to return to Paris instead of visit- 



•^-6 GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 

ing Cork, where he would have received such an ovation 
from the self-respecting populace as would prove that the 
Irish heart beats in sympathy with America." 

General Grant quietly left Dublin on Monday morning, 
January 6, Lord Mayor Barrington taking leave of him 
at the railway station. The morning was cold, and, as the 
train progressed northward, ice, snow, cold winds and 
finally rain were encountered. At Dundalk, Omagh, Stra- 
bane and other stations, large crowds were assembled and 
the people cheered the ex-President, putting their hands 
into the cars and shaking hands with him whenever pos- 
sible. The expressions of ill-feeling toward General Grant 
in Cork had aroused the Protestant sentiments of the Irish 
people of Ulster in his favor. 

At two o'clock the train reached Derry. A heavy rain 
had covered the ground with ice, rendering the view of the 
city and surroundings inost charming, as seen through the 
mists and gossamer of falling snow. At the station an im- 
mense crowd, apparently the whole town and neighbor- 
hood, had assembled. The multitude was held in check by 
the police. The Mayor welcomed General Grant cordially, 
and he left the station amid great cheering, mingled with 
groans from the nationalist members of the crowd, who 
called out, " Why did n't ye receive O'Connor Power ?" 
The great majority of the crowd cheered madly, and fol- 
lowed General Grant's carriage to the hotel. The ships in 
the harbor were decorated with flags and streamers, and 
the town was en fete. A remarkably cold, driving rain 
set in at three o'clock, just as General Grant and his party 
drove in state to the ancient town hall. The crowd was so 
dense near the hall that progress through it was made with 
great difficulty. At the entrance of the building the 
Mayor and Council, in their robes of office, received the 
ex-President. Amid many expressions of enthusiasm from 
the people of Londonderry, an address was read extolling 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



357 



the military and civil career of General Grant, which was 
pronounced second in honor only to that of Washington. 

General Grant signed the roll, thus making himself an 
Ulster Irishman. He then made a brief address. He said 
that no incident of his trip was more pleasant than accept- 
ing citizenship at the hands of the representatives of this 
ancient and honored city, with whose history the people of 
America were so fiimiliar. He regretted that his stay in 
Ireland would be so brief. He had originally intended 
embarking from Queenstovvn direct for the United States, 
in which case he would have remaured a much longer time 
on the snug little island; but, having resolved to visit India, 
he was compelled to make his stay short. He could not, 
however, he said in conclusion, return home without seeing 
Ireland and a people in whose welfare the people of the 
United States took so deep an interest. The ex-President 
returned to his hotel, making a short visit at the house of 
Consul Livermore en route. 

A banquet was tendered to the General, at which he 
was present. The leading citizens of the province of 
Ulster attended, and the dinner was remarkably good. 
The reception of the ex-President was enthusiastic and cor- 
dial in the extreme. General Grant, in response to a toast, 
made a brief speech, saying that he should have felt that 
his tour in Europe was incomplete had he not seen the 
ancient and illustrious city of Londonderry, whose history 
was so well known throughout America. Indeed, the 
people of Derry, and all about there, had had a remarkable 
influence upon the development of American character. 
He cordially welcomed to the United States all the Irish- 
men who chose to make their homes there, and this was 
a welcome shared by the American people. Minister 
Noyes made a speech of the same general tenor, and at 
eleven o'clock the company separated. 

The following; morninir General Grant strolled about. 



35« 



,GEN£11AL U. S, GRANT'S 



looking at the historic walls, visiting Walker's Pillar, Roar- 
ing Meg, and the other curiosities of the town. The Gen- 
eral's treatment by the people of Londonderry during his 
stay was unusually cordial. 

General Grant's tour in Ulster was, in some respects, the 
most remarkable of his European experiences. People 
resented the action of the city of Cork as a slander upon 
Irish hospitality. 

General Grant left Derry on' the yth, accompanied by 
Sir Hervey Bruce, Lieutenant of the county. Air. Taylor, 
M. P. for Coleraine, and other local magnates. A cold 
rain and mists, coming from the Northern Ocean, obscured 
the wonderful view of the Northern Irish coast. The 
General studied the country closely, remarking on the 
sparseness of the population, and saying he could see no 
evidence of the presence of seven millions of people in 
Ireland. 

At every station there were crowds assembled, and, 
when the cars stopped, the people rushed forward to 
shake hands with the General. Some were old soldiers 
who had been in the American army. One remarked that 
Grant had captured him at Paducah. Another asked Gen- 
eral Grant to give him a shilling in remembrance of old 
times. The people were all kindly, cheering for Grant and 
America. At Coleraine there was an immense crowd. 
General Grant, accompanied by the Member of Par- 
liament, Mr. Taylor, left the cars, entered the waiting-room 
at the depot, and received an address. In reply, General 
Grant repeated the hope and belief, expressed in his Dublin 
speech, that the period of depression was ended, and that 
American prosperity was aiding Irish prosperity. At 
Ballymoney there was another crowd. As the train neared 
Belfast, a heavy rain began to fall. 

The train reached Belfast station at half-past two 
^'clock. The reception accorded General Grant was im- 



TOUIl AROUND THE WORLD. 359 

posing and extraordinary. The linen and other mills had 
stopped work, and the workmen stood out in the rain in 
thousands. The platform of the station was covered with 
scarlet carpet. The Mayor and Members of the City 
Council welcomed the General, who descended from the 
car amid tremendous cheers. Crowds ran after the car- 
riages containing the city authorities and their illustrious 
guest, and afterward surrounded the hotel where the Gen- 
eral was entertained. Belfast was en fete. The public 
buildings were draped with American and English colors, 
and in a few instances with orange flags. Luncheon was 
served at four o'clock, and the crowd, with undaunted valor, 
remained outside amid a heavy snow storm, and cheered at 
intervals. The feature of the luncheon was the presence 
of the Roman Catholic Bishop of the diocese, who was 
given the post of honor. The luncheon party numbered 
one hundred and seventy — the Mayor said he could have 
had five thousand. 

The Belfast speakers made cordial allusions to many 
people in America, and were anxious to have Grant de- 
clare himself in favor of free trade, but the General in his 
reply made no allusions to the subject, to the disappoint- 
ment of many of those present. Minister Noyes made a 
hit in his speech when he said thai General Grant showed 
his appreciation of Belfast men by appointing A. T. Stew- 
art, of Belfast, Secretary of the Treasury, and offering 
George H. Stuart, a Belfast boy, the portfolio of Secretary 
of the Navy. 

After the luncheon was over. General Grant remained 
quietly in his apartments, receiving many calls, some from 
old soldiers who served under him during the war. 

At ten o'clock on the morning of January 9, General 
Grant and his partv, accompanied by Mayor Brown, vis 
ited several of the large mills and industrial establishments 
of the city. Before he left the hotel he was waited on by 



360 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

» number of the leading citizens and several clergymen. 
Bishop Ryan, the Catholic Bishop of Buffalo, and Mr. 
Cronm, editor of the Catholic Union, were among the 
callers, and had a pleasant interview. The General then 
drove to the warehouses of several merchants in the linen 
trade, to the factories and shipyards. At the immense ship- 
yard where the White Star steamers were built, the work- 
men, numbering two thousand, gathered around Grant's 
carriage and cheered as they rah alongside. The public 
buildings and many of the shops were decorated. The 
weather was clear and cold. 

At three o'clock in the afternoon the General left for 
Dublin. Immense crowds had gathered at the hotel and 
at the railway station. The Mayor, with Sir John Pres- 
ton and the American Consul, James M. Donnan, accom- 
panied the General to the depot. As the train moved off 
the crowd gave tremendous cheers, the Mayor taking the 
initiative. One Irishman in an advanced stage of enthusi- 
asm called out: "Three cheers for Oliver Cromwell 
Grant 1" To this there was only a faint response. 

At Portadov^rn, Dundalk, Drogheda and other stations, 
there were immense crowds, the populations apparently 
turning out en masse. Grant was loudly cheered, and 
thousands surrounded the car with the hope of being able 
to shake the General by the hand, all wishing him a safe 
journey. One little girl created considerable merriment 
by asking the General to give her love to her aunt in 
America. All the Belfast journals, in more or less acri- 
monious terms, denounced the action of the Council of Cork. 
At Dundalk, the brother of Robert Nugent, who was 
Lieutenant-Colonel of the Sixty-ninth New York Regi- 
ment in 1861, and afterward commander of a brigade in the 
Second Corps, Army of the Potomac, said he was glad to 
welcome his brother's old commander. 

The Belfast limited mail train, conveying General 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 361 

Grant, arrived at Dublin fourteen minutes behind time on 
the 8tli. Lord Mayor Barrington and a considerable num- 
ber of persons were on the platform at the railway station, 
and cordially welcomed the General. As soon as all the 
party had descended, the Lord ]SLayor invited the General 
into his carriage and drove him to Westward Row, whei"e 
the Irish mail train was ready to depart, having been de- 
tained eight minutes for the ex-President. 

There was a most cordial farewell and a great shaking 
of hands. The Mayor and his friends begged General Grant 
to return soon and make a longer stay. Soon Kingston was 
reached, and in a few minutes the party were in the special 
cabin which had been provided for them on board the mail 
steamer. Special attention was paid to the General by the 
officers of the vessel. General Grant left the Irish shores at 
twenty minutes past seven o'clock. 

When the steamer was about to start, the Inspector of 
Detectives inquired minutely concernnig each member of 
the General's party then on board, apparently to satisfy him- 
self that they were exactly the same gentiemen who lanueu 
here five days before, and that none who came were disguised 
Fenian emissaries masquerading as American generals, and 
who had remained behind while allowing some of their ac- 
complices to get away under the same disguise. 

In his reception at Belfast was shown, down to the very 
moment of his departure, an exuberant enthusiasm of 
welcome, that is, perhaps, justly understood as owing some 
part of its warmth to a desire to protest against the Cork- 
onian blunder. His welcome at Dublin by the Lord Mayor 
was another pleasant tribute of good will; while* the un- 
easiness of the police inspector, eager to know whether 
this descent of a foreign soldier on Irish soil was not, after 
all, some Fenian project in disguise, was characteristic, 
laughable, and perhaps the best a policeman could do in the 
way of a compliment. General Grant's visit to Ireland was 



363 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

ended; and it may be fairly said of it that a public man, 
from a far distant country, without official character, known 
to the world for his military glory and for services that 
saved a great republic from anarchy, was never more geni- 
ally, warmly, earnestly and enthusiastically made to feel 
that heroism, and, above all, heroism in the cause of lib- 
erty, has no country, but is equally at home in any part of 
the world, where there is a j^eople with a soul to appreciate 
great services and the aspiration to be free. An event like 
General Grant's welcome in Ireland does not happen in the 
lives of many men. Our own welcome to Lafayette on 
his revisiting this country might be compared to it, but 
that we were under the obligation of a people m whose 
own cause that soldier fought; and the Irish welcome to 
General Grant was, therefore, even more generous, for there 
was not even the obligation of g-ratitude in it. As for the 
little fly spot put on this fine picture by the Corkoni- 
ans, why, it may be admitted that even an Irish city 
can produce some pitiful fellows, who want to become 
distinguished for their very meanness, if they have no 
worthier qualities. Some sharp- sighted democrats have 
seen in this visit to Ireland a strategic move on the Irish 
vote, should the General ever enter public life again. It 
is one of the misfortunes that dog public men in a country 
like ours, that every act of their lives has to be judged 
from the standpoint of those who contemplate it in the light 
of the ignoble hunt for votes. Some ground is given by 
what opponents of General Grant say to the opinion that 
they have stirred up this Corkonian trouble to head off this 
hunt. If this be true, they must have been inspired under 
the influence of Grant's lucky star, for they have done him 
a service for which he could not have counted upon them, 
except under the general principle that a great part of every 
distinguished man's good fortune is due to blunders of his 
adversaries. 



II 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



GRANT IN INDIA. 

General Grant again visited London, where a grand 
dinner and reception was given him by our Minister to 
England, Mr Welsh, which was largely attended by the 
elite of London, and American residents. At every station 
en route the greatest enthusiasm was manifested. The 
General left the next day for Paris, where he was the 
recipient of a grand dinner at the United States Legation 
on January 14, and a grand state dinner and reception at 
the Palais d' Elysee, the residence of President Mac- 
Mahon. 

Among the invited guests were General Grant and 
family, M. Waddington and wife, General Noyes and wife, 
Miss King, jNIiss Stevens, the members of the Chinese 
Embassy, the representatives of San Salvador, Buenos 
Ayres, Chili, Guatemala, Peru, Colombia and Uruguay, 
and many French generals and admirals. 

The General left Paris for Marseilles on the evening of 
January 21. The party accompanying him consisted of 
Mrs. Grant, Colonel Fred. Grant, ex-Secretary of the Navy 
A. E. Borie, Dr. Keating, and the Herald correspondent, 
who made the whole trip to India. General Badeau went 
as far as Marseilles. Generals Noyes and Fairchild, Secre- 
taries Hill, Itgneau, and a large number of Americans, went 
to the station to see the joarty off. The train left at a quar- 
ter past seven o'clock, and arrived at Marseilles the follow- 
ing morning at eleven o'clock. Consul John B. Gould 



364 GENERAL U. S, GRANT's 

received them at the railway station. An afternoon recep- 
tion was held at the Consulate, where General Grant met 
the leading citizens of Marseilles. At noon the party 
embarked on the French steamship Labourdonais for India, 
via Suez. The party embraced General and Mrs. Grant, 
ex- Secretary Borie, Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick D. 
Grant, Dr. Keating, of Philadelphia, and the Herald cor- 
respondent. 

General Badeau, Consul Gould, J. B. Lippincott, of 
Philadelphia, John Munroe, the banker, and many other 
citizens, took leave of General and Mrs. Grant. The day 
v\^as cold and the sky was filled wMth masses of gray cloud. 
The people of Marseilles evinced great interest in the 
General's departure. The ships in the harbor were dressed 
with flags and streamers. General Grant and his party 
were in the best of health and spirits. 

The steamer moved out of the harbor shortly after 
twelve o'clock, and the land journey of General Grant in 
Europe closed amid the kindest manifestations of hiy 
countrymen at Marseilles and the French citizens of that 
great Mediterranean port. Marshal MacMahon had sent 
orders to the French admirals on foreign stations and to 
the governors of French colonies to treat ex-President 
Grant with all the honors due to the head of an independ- 
ent vState. 

The first hours on the ISIediterranean were on a high 
sea, but on second tlie day the sea went down and charming 
yachting weather was enjoyed. On Friday, January 24, 
the steamer passed between Corsica and Sardina, having a 
a fine view of the dusky coasts of the former island. On 
the 25th, about noon, Ischia was sighted, and through the 
hazy atmosphere faint outlines of Vesuvius could be traced. 
Ischia is a beautiful island, dotted with smiling villages, 
and presenting an inviting appearance. Passing the island, 
Capri was left to the right, and the vessel sailed into the 



TOt'K AROUND THE WORLD. ^65 

beautiful Bay of Naples. The King's palace, the convent, 
the range of hills and the towering landscape remained un- 
changed, and at once recognized, though a year had nearly 
passed since the General's first visit. As soon as the anchor 
was dropped, Mr. Maynard, our Minister to Turkey, and 
Mr. Duncan, our Consul at Naples, came on board, and a 
delightful hour was passed. In the afternoon the Labour- 
do nais steamed out to sea. On the mornmg of the 26th 
Stromboli was in sight. The General and party, owing 
to the stormy weather, were unable to see this famed 
island upon the previous voyage over this same route, but 
they were now sailing under the shadow of this ancient 
island. The volcano was throwing out ashes and smoke in 
a feeble, fretful manner. At the base of this volcano is a 
cluster of houses or a village. What reason any human 
being can give for remaining in Stromboli is beyond the 
knowledge of man. They are at the absolute mercy of 
the sea and the furnace, and far away from neighbors and 
refuge and rescue. It must be to gratify some poetic io' 
stinct, for Stromboli is poetic enough. With every turn of 
the screw our visitors were coming into the land of classic 
and religious fame; these islands through which they were 
sailing are the islands visited by the wandering Ulysses. 

Reggio was passed, which in ancient days was called 
Rhegium. It was here that St. Paul landed, after Syracuse 
and Malta adventures, carrying with him the message of 
Christ, going from this spot to preach the gospel to all 
mankind. 

Leaving Etna to the left, they sailed through Messina 
Straits, the sea scarcely rippling, and were soon again in 
the open sea, the land fading from view. 

On the second morning Crete was passed, the snow 
upon her mountain ranges being plainly visible from the 
decks- of the steamer. At noon Crete faded from their 
sight, and a last farewell to Europe was uttered — farewell 



366 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



to many a bright and happy hour spent on its shores, of 
which all that remains is the memory. 

On the evening of the 29th of January — it being the 
evening of the seventh day of their journey from Mar- 
seilles — they came to anchor outside of the harbor of 
Alexandria. There was some disappointment that the 
steamer did not enter that evening, but they were an hour or 
so late, and so they swung at anchor and found what conso- 
lation they could in the enrapturing glory of an Egyptian 
night. In the morning when the sun arose, the steamer 
picked her way into the harbor, and when our visitors 
came on deck they found themselves at anchor, with Alex- 
andria before them, her minarets looking almost gay in the 
fresh light of the morning sun. A boat came out about 
eight, bringing General C, P. Stone, Mr. Farman, our 
Consul-General, Mr. Salvago, our Consul in Alexandria, 
and Judge Morgan of the International Tribunal. Gen- 
eral Stone came with kind messages from the Khedive, and 
the hope that General Grant might be able to come to 
Cairo. But this was not possible, as he had to connect 
with the English steamer at Suez, and Suez was a long 
day's journey. So all that was left was that they should 
pull ashore as rapidly as possible and drive to the train. 
The Consul-General, with prudent foresight, had arranged 
that the train should wait for the General, and thus it came 
that the General's ride through Egypt, from Alexandria to 
Suez, was during the day, and not, as otherwise would 
have happened, during the long and weary night. 

It must have been pleasant to General Grant to land in a 
quiet, unostentatious fashion, without pomp and ceremony 
and pachas in waiting and troops in line, the blaze of trum- 
pets and the thunder of guns. The escape from a salute 
and a reception was a great comfort to the General, who 
seemed to enjoy having no one's hands to shake, to enjoy a 
snug corner in an ordinary railway car, talking with Gen- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



367 



eral Stone and Mr. Borie and the Consul-General. The 
train waited half an hour for the General and party, 
and would have been detained longer hut for the energy 
and genius shown by Hassan — the General's old friend 
Hassan — who acconii^anied him on the Nile. Hassan, as 
the official guard of the Legation, wearing a sword, was 
an authority in Egypt, and he used his authority to the 
utmost in having the traps and parcels carried from the 
wharf to the train. The ride to Suez was without inci- 
dent, and Egypt, as seen from the car windows, was the 
same Egypt about which so much has been written. The 
fields were green, the air was clear and generous, the 
train people were civil. When Arabs gathered at the doors 
to call for backsheesh in the name of the prophet Hassan 
made himself, not without noise and effect, a beneficent 
influence. The General chatted with Stone about school 
times at West Point, about friends. Mr. Borie made vari- 
ous attempts to see the Pyramids from the cars, and talked 
over excursions that some of the party had made, and so 
much' interested was he that the party offered to remain 
over one steamer to enable him to visit the Pyramids, and 
the Sphinx, and the Serapeum at Memphis. But General 
Grant was too late for India, and Mr, Borie would not con- 
sent to the sacrifice of valuable time on the General's part, 
and so they kept on to Suez, The hotel at Suez was formerly 
a harem of the Egyptian princes. From the balcony one can 
look out on the Red Sea, on the narrow line of water which 
has changed the commerce of the world — the Suez canal 
Suez is a small, clean town — clean from an Oriental stand- 
point. As the steamer that was to convey General Grant 
and party to India had not arrived, but was blocked in the 
canal, the visitors had a fine opportunity to visit the bazaars 
and town. 

About five in the afternoon the boat was sighted, and, as 
the sun went down. General Grant went on board the 



^6S GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

steamer, Mr, Farman and General Stone remaining until 
the last moment, to say farewell. At eight o'clock on the 
evening of January 30, the steamer Venetia, of the Penin- 
sular and Oriental Steamship Company's line, moved out 
into the Red Sea, and the last words of farewell were 
spoken. Owing to heavy head winds, the Venetia did not 
make much headw^ay, losing nearly two days. At the 
mouth of the Red Sea is Aden, a town with a population 
of over twenty thousand inhabitants. It juts into the mouth 
of the Red Sea, commanding the entrance. It was taken 
by the British in 1S3S, as a part of the English policy of 
dotting the world with guns and garrisons. There is a 
garrison, and the forts are manned with heavy guns. The 
government is martial law, tempered with bribery. The 
British pay the native chiefs annual tribute money to behave 
themselves. Aden is a sort of gateway to the Red Sea 
and the Indian Ocean, and the regulations of the British 
government in reference to commerce are stringent, and 
would scarcely be tolerated on the coasts of a stronger 
power than Arabia. Every vessel carrying more than a 
certain number of j^assengers must stop at Aden. The 
nominal reason is to obtain a clean bill of health. The real 
reason is, that it enables the government to keep a close 
scrutiny ujDon all that is doing in the Indian waters. It 
also adds to the revenues of Aden, for every vessel that 
stops sends money on shore, and thus the fort, while secur- 
ing a most important position, while commanding the Red 
Sea and making it almost a British lake, supports itself 
It is observed in studying the growth of the British Em- 
pire, that the self-supporting principle is always encour- 
aged. The British give good government and make the 
governed ones pay the bills, with a little over for home 
revenues when possible. Remaining at Aden only long 
enough to coal, on the morning of February 6 the steamer 
headed for Bombay, The trip was a delightful one, the 



TOUR AROUND THE WOULD. 369 

steamer scarcely rolling. On the morning of February 
13 Bombay was reached. 

The departure from Europe had been so sudden that 
General Grant had no idea that even our Consul at Bom- 
bay knew of his coming. All arrangements were made to 
go to a hotel, and from thence make their journey ; but the 
Venetia had scarcely entered the harbor before evidences 
were seen that the General was expected. Ships in the 
harbor were dressed with flags, and at the wharf was a 
large crowd — soldiers, natives, Europeans. As the En- 
glish flag-ship was passed, a boat came alongside with an 
officer representing Admiral Corbett, welcoming the Gen- 
eral to India. In a few minutes came another boat bearing 
Captain Frith, the military aid to Sir Richard Temple, 
Governor of the Presidency of Bombay. Captain Frith 
bore a letter from the Governor welcoming the General 
to Bombay, and offering him the use of the Government 
House at Malabar Point. Captain Frith expressed the 
regret of Sir Richard that he could not be in Bombay to 
meet General Grant, but duties connected with the Afghan 
war kept him in Sind. The Consul, Mr. Farnham, also 
came with a delegation of American residents, and wel- 
comed the General and party. 

At nine o'clock in the morning the last farewells were 
spoken. They took leave of the many kind and pleasant 
friends they had made on the Venetia, and went on board 
the government yacht. The landing was at the Apollo 
Bunder — the spot where the Prince of Wales landed. As 
they drew near the shore there was an immense crowd 
lining the wharf, and a company of Boml^ay volunteers in 
line. As the General ascended the steps he was met by 
Brigadier-General Aitcheson, commanding the forces; Sir 
Francis Souter, Commissioner of Police; Mr. Grant, the 
Municipal Commissioner, and Colonel Sexton, command- 
ing the Bombay Volunteers, all of whom gave him a 



5yo GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

hearty welcome to India. The volunteers presented arms, 
the band played our national air, and the General, amid 
loud cheers from the Europeans present, walked slowly 
with uncovered head to the state carriage. Accompanied 
by Captain Frith, who represented the Governor, and at- 
tended by an escort of native cavalry, the General and party 
made off to jNIalabar Point. 

The General's home in Bombay was at the Govern- 
ment House, on Malabar Point, in the suburbs of the city. 
Malabar Point was in other days a holy place of the Hin- 
doos. Here was a temple, and it was also believed that if 
those who sinned made a pilgrimage to the rocks there 
would be expiation or regeneration of the soul. The Por- 
tuguese who came to India were breakers of images, who 
believed that the religion of Christ was best served by the 
destruction of the Pagan temples. Among the temples 
which were subjected to their pious zeal was one on Mala- 
bar Point. . There are only the ruins remaining, and masses 
of rock, bearing curious inscriptions, lie on the hillside. 
Malabar Point is an edge of the island of Bombay jutting 
out into the Indian Ocean. Where the bluff overlooks the 
waters it is one hundred feet high. This remnant of the 
rock has been rescued from the sea and storm and decorated 
with trees and shrubbery, the mango and the palm. Over- 
looking the s-za is a battery with five large guns, shining 
and black, looking out upon the ocean and keeping watch 
over the Empire of England. It is difiicult to describe a 
residence like Government House on Malabar Point. Ar- 
chitecture is simply a battle with the sun. The house is a 
groifp of houses. As you drive in the grounds through 
stone gates that remind you of the porter's lodges at some 
stately English mansions, you pass through an avenue of 
mango trees, past beds of flcnvers throwing out their deli- 
cate fragrance on the warm morning air. You come to a 
one-storied house surrounded with spacious verandas. 



TOUll AltOUNl) JHE WOKLU. 



371 



There is a wide state entranee eovered with reel eloth. A 
guard is at the foot, a native guard wearing the English 
scarlet, on his shoulders the numl)er indicating the regi- 
ment. You pass up the stairs, a line of se'rvants on either 
side. The servants are all Mohammedans; they wear long 
scarlet gowns, with white turbans; on the breast is a belt 
with an imj^erial crown for an escutcheon. They salute 
you with the grave, submissive grace of the East, touching 
the forehead and bending low the head, in token of wel- 
come and duty. You enter a hall and pass between two 
rooms — large, high, decorated in blue and white, and look 
out upon the gardens below, the sea beyond and the towers 
of Bombay. One of these rooms is the state dining-room, 
large enough to dine fifty people. The other is the state 
drawing-room. This house is only used for ceremonies, 
for meals and receptions. 

General Grant was the guest of the Governor, and the 
honors of his house were done by Captains Frith and Rad- 
clifF of the army. Meals were taken in the state dining- 
room. Mrs. Grant enjoyed every moment of her visit. 

The attentions paitl to the General and his j^^rty by the 
people of Bombay were so marked and continuous that 
most of their time was taken up in receiving and acknowl- 
ing them. What most interested them, coming fresh from 
Europe, was the entire novelty of the scene, the way of 
living, the strange manners and customs. All impressions 
of India, gathered from the scattered reading of busy days 
at home, are vague. Somehow one associates India with 
ideas of pageanty. The history of the country has been 
written in such glowing colors — one who has read Oriental 
poems, and fallen under the captivating rhetoric of Mac- 
aulay, looks for nature in a luxuriant form, for splendoi 
and ornament, for bazaars laden with gems and gold, foi 
crowded highways, with elephants slowly plodding their 
way along. 



37^ GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

Therefore, when India is seen — India as seen in this her 
greatest city — one is surprised to find it all so hard and baked 
and brown. The greenness of field and hillside is missed. 
A people who have nothing in common with any race 
known. There are so many types, curious and varying, 
that impressions are bewildering and indefinite. In time, 
as the country is known and understood, it will be seen that 
this civilization has lines of harmony like that left behind; 
that there are reasons for all the odd things, just as there 
are reasons for many odd things in America; and that 
Indian civilization even now — when its glory has departed, 
its mightiest States are mere appendages of the British 
Empire, when day after day it bends and crumbles under 
the stern hand and cold brain of the Saxon — is rich in the 
lessons and qualities which have for ages excited the am- 
bition and wonder of the world. 

On Friday night, General Grant visited the ball of the 
Volunteer Corps, and was received by Colonel Sexton. 
The ballroom was profusely decorated with flags — the 
American flag predominating. On Saturday, at two 
o'clock, he visited Dossabhoy Merwanjee, a Parsee mer- 
chant. The reception was most cordial, the ladies of the 
family decorating the General and pnrty with wreaths of 
jasmine flowers. In the afternoon he drove to the By- 
culla Club, lunched, and looked at the races. In the eve- 
ning there was a state dinner at the Government House, 
with forty-eight guests. The government band played 
during dinner. The member of council, Hon. James 
Gibbs, who represents the Governor, was in the chair. At 
the close of the dinner, he proposed the health of the Gen- 
eral, who arose, amid loud cheering, and said that he was 
now carrying out a wish he had long entertained, of visit- 
ing India and the countries of the ancient world. His 
reception in Bombay had been most gratifying. The cor- 
diality of tile i^coplc, the princely hospitality of the Gov- 



i 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



373 



ernor, the kindness of the members of the household, all 
combined to make him feel the sincerity of the welcome. 
It was only a continuance of the friendliness he had met 
in Europe, and which was especially grateful to him 
because it indicated a friendly feeling toward his own coun- 
try. In this spirit he accepted it, for he knew of nothing 
that would go further toward insuring peace to all nations, 
and with peace the blessings of civilization, than a perfect 
understanding between Englishmen and Americans, the 
great English-speaking nations of the world. The Gen- 
eral said he hoped he might see his hosts in America. He 
would be most happy to meet them, and return the hospi- 
tality he had I'eceived. He was sorry he could not see Sir 
Richard Temple, the Governor of Bombay, of whom he 
had heard a great deal and whom he was anxious to meet. 
But he would ask them to join with him in drinking the 
health of the Governor. This sentiment was drank with 
all the honors. The dinner was finely served, and after 
dinner the General and guests strolled about on the veranda, 
smoking, or chatting, looking out on the calm and murmur- 
ing ocean that rolled at their feet, and the lights of the city 
beyond. There was a luncheon with Sir Michael R. Wes- 
tropp, Chief Justice of Bombay. 

Subsequently General Grant visited the English man- 
of-war Euryolus, the flagship of the English squadron in 
India. Admiral Corbett received the General, and on his 
leaving the vessel fired twenty-one guns. There was a 
visit to the Elephanta caves, one of the sights in India. 
The visitors left the wharf, and steamed across the bay in 
a small launch belonging to the government. The after- 
noon was beautiful, the islands in the bay breaking up the 
horizon into various forms of beauty, that resembled the 
islands of the Mediterranean. Elephanta caves belong to 
Hindoo theology. Here in the rocks the Brahmins built 
their temples, and now on the holy days the people come 



274 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

and worship their gods according to the ritual of their 
ancestors. What the temple might have been in its best 
days cannot be imagined from the ruins. 

Having reached the temples, they strolled about, study- 
ing the figures, noting the columns and the curious archi- 
tecture, full, rude, massive, unlike any forms of architectural 
art familiar to iVmericans. The main temple is one hun- 
dred and twenty-five feet long, and the same in width. 
The idols are hewn out of the rock. The faces of some 
are comely, and there is a European expression in the fea- 
tures that startles you. The type is a higher one than 
those seen in Egypt. One of the idols, supposed to be the 
Hindoo Trinity — Brahmin, Vishnu and Siva. There is a 
figure of a woman — the wife of Siva — and it is seen in 
these pagan faiths that woman, who holds so sad a place 
in their domestic economy, was worshiped as fervently as 
some of us worship the Virgin. It is the tribute which 
even the heathen pays, as if by instinct, to the supreme 
blessing of maternity. But when the Portuguese came, 
with the sword and the cross, little mercy was shown to 
the homes of the pagan gods. It is believed that these tem- 
ples were cut out of the rocks in the tenth century, and 
that for eight hundred years these stony emblems were 
worshiped. 

On Monday the General was entertained in state at the 
Government House at Malabar Point. Hon. James Gibbs, 
the member of the council who acted as Governor in the 
absence of Sir Richard Temple, joresided, and at the close 
of the dinner the company drank the health of the General. 
In response the General referred to the kindness he had 
received in India, which was only renewing the kindness 
shown him all over Europe, and which he accepted as an 
evidence of the good will which really existed between 
Englishmen and Americans, and which was to his mind 
the best assurance of peace for all nations. After the din- 



:-*4 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 375 

ner the General received a large number of the native 
merchants and gentlemen of Bombay. It may seem odd 
to American eyes that merchants and gentlemen should be 
asked to come in at the end of a feast, and not to take 
part. But this exclusion is their own wish. Many of 
these merchants and gentlemen belong to castes who look 
on the food of the Europeans as unclean, who believe in 
the sacredness of life and will not eat animal food, and 
who could not sit at the table with the General without 
losing caste. These men will meet you in business, will 
serve you in various ways, but their religion prevents 
their sharing your table. So the invitation to the natives 
to meet the General was fixed at an hour when dinner was 
over. 

They came in groups — Hindoos, Arabs, Parsees, native 
officers — in uniforms, in quaint flowing costumes. The 
General stood at the head of the hallway, with Mr. Gibbs 
and Major Rivet-Carnac, the Governor's military secre- 
tary. As each native advanced, he was presented to the 
General with some word of history or compliment from 
Mr. Gibbs. " This is So-and-So, an eminent Brahmin 
scholar, who stands hig'' among our barriste* , ' or, " this 
is So-and-So, a Par.'- ; merchant, who has done a great 
deal of good to Bombay, and has been knighted for his 
services by the Queen;" or, "this is the oldest Ai'ab 
merchant;" or, "this is a gallant officer of our native 
cavalry ;" or, " this is the leading diamond merchant 
in Bombay, a Hindoo gentleman, one of the richest 
in India." As each of thein advanced, it was with folded 
hands, as in prayer, or saluting by touching the breast 
and brow in the submissive, graceful, bending way. 
Here were men of many races — the Parsee, from Persia, 
the Arab, from Cairo, whose ancestors may have ridden 
with Omar; the Brahmin of a holy caste, in whose veins 
runs the stainless blood of Indian nobility, descendant of 



376 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



men who were priests and rulers ages before England had 
risen from her clouds of barbarism. Between these races 
there is no love. If they do not like England, they hate 
one another. Religious differences, tradition, memories of 
war and conquest, the unaccountable antipathies of race 
which have not been eliminated from their civilization — 
all generate a fierce animosity which would break into 
flames once the restraining hand were lifted. What welds 
them together is the power of England; and as you look 
at this picturesque group — their heads, full eyes, their fine 
Asiatic tvpe of face, clear and well cut — here assembled 
peacefully, j'ou see the extent of the empire to which 
they all owe allegiance, and admire the genius and courage 
which has brought them to submit to a rule which, what- 
ever it may have been in tne past, grows more and more 
beneficent. 

The General left Bombay on Tuesday, February i8, 
having driven into town and made some farewell calls. 
At five he left Government House in a state carriage, 
accompanied by Major Uarnac, who represented Governor 
Temple,, -^d escorted by a squadron of cavalry. On arriv- 
ing at the . tion there was a g. ^-d of honor of native 
infantry drawn up, which presente, arms and lowered 
colors. All the leading men of the Bombay Government 
— Parsee and native merchants; our Consul, Mr. Farnham, 
whose kindness was untiring; Mr. Gibbs, and all the mem- 
bers of the government household, were present. In a 
few minutes the signal for leaving was made, and, the 
General thanking his good friends of Malabar Point, the 
train pushed off amid cheers and the salutes of the mili- 
tary. 

On the 30th of February the party arrived at Tatul- 
pur, and visited the Marble Rocks, on the Norbudda 
River, riding there on elephants provided by the govern- 
ment. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 377 

The General arrived at Allahabad on the 22d of Feb- 
ruary, where he was received by Sir George Cowper, 
Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest Provinces, and 
was escorted to the Government House. 

The General arrived at Agra on the 23d, and on the 
following day he visited Jeypore, where he was received 
by the Maharajah with his ministers, and the English 
Resident, Dr. Hendley. As the General descended, the 
Maharajah, who wore the ribbon and star of the Order of 
India, advanced and shook hands, welcoming him to his 
dominions. The Maharajah is a small, rather fragile per- 
son, with a serious, almost a painful, expression of counten- 
ance, but an intelligent, keen face. He looked like a man of 
sixty. His movements were slow, impassive — the move- 
ments of old age. This may be a mannerism, however, 
for on studying his face you could see that there is some 
youth in it. On his brow were the crimson emblems of 
his caste — the warrior caste of Rajpootana. His Highness 
does not speak English, although he understands it, and 
our talk was through an interpreter. After the exchange 
of courtesies and a few moments' conversation, the General 
drove off to the English Residency, accompanied by a com- 
pany of Jeypore cavalry. The Residency is some distance 
from the station. It is a fine, large mansion, surrounaeu 
by a park and garden. 

It was arranged that the General should visit Amber, 
the ancient capital of Jeypore, one of the most curious 
sights in India. Amber was the capital until the close of 
the seventeenth century. It was one of the freaks of the 
princes who once reigned in India, that when they tired of 
a capital or a palace, they wandered off and built a new 
one, leaving the other to run to waste. The ruins of India 
are as a general thing the abandoned palaces and temples 
of kings who grew weary of their tov and craved another. 
This is why Amber is now an abandoned town and Jeypore 



378 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

the capital. If the Maharajah were to tire of Jeypore and 
return to Amber, the town would accompany him, for 
without the Court the town would die. Traveling in India 
must be done very early in the morning, and, although the 
visitors had had a severe day's journey, they left for Amber 
at seven in the morning. A squadron of the Maharajah's 
cavalry accompanied them. They are fine horsemen, and 
wear quilted uniforms of printed cotton. The drive 
through Jeypore was interesting, from the fact that they 
wei-e now in a native city, under native rule. Heretofore 
the India they had seen was India under Englishmen; but 
Jeypore is sovereign, with power of life and death over its 
own subjects. The city is purely Oriental, and is most 
picturesque and striking. There are two or three broad 
streets, and one or two squares, that would do no discredit 
to Paris. The architecture is Oriental, and, as all the houses 
are painted after the same pattern, in rose color, it gives 
you the impression that it is all the same building. The 
streets had been swept for the coming of the visitors, and 
men, carrynig goatskins of water, were sprinkling them. 
Soldiers were stationed at various points to salute, and 
sometimes the salute was accompanied with a musical bang- 
ing on various instruments of the national air. The best 
that India can do for a distinguished American, is " God 
Save the Queen." 

There are gas lamps in Jeypore; this is a tremendous 
advance in civilization. One of the first things General 
Grant heard in India, was that in Jeypore lived a great 
prince, a most enlightened prince, quite English in his ideas, 
who had gas lamps in his streets. He had a theatre almost 
ready for occupancy; there was a troupe of Parsee players 
in town, who had come all the way from Bombay, and 
were waiting to open it. The Maharajah was sorry he 
could not show the General a play. 

To go to Amber, General Grant and party must ride 



TOUR AROUND TIIK WORI.D. 



379 



elephants, for after a few miles the hills cotne, and the roads 
are broken, and carriages are of no value. Camels or horses 
could be used, but the Maharajah had sent elephants, and 
they were waiting for them under a grove of mango trees, 
drawn up 1)\- the side of the road, as if to salute. The 
principal elephant wore a scarlet cloth, as a special honor 
to the General. The elephant means authority in India, 
and, when you wish to do your guest the highest honor, you 
mount him on an elephant. The Maharajah also sent sedan 
chairs for those who preferred an easier and swifter convey- 
ance. 

Mrs. Grant chose the sedan chair, and was switched off 
at a rapid pace up the ascending road by four Hindoo 
bearers. The pace at which these chairs is carried is a 
short, measured quickstejD, so that there is no uneasiness to 
the rider. The rest mounted the elephants. Elephant- 
riding is a curious and not an unpleasant experience. The 
animal is under perfect control, and very often, especially 
in the case of such a man as the ruler of Jeypore, has been 
for generations in the same family. The elephant is under 
the care of a driver, called a mahout. The mahout sits on 
the neck, or more properly the head, of the elephant, and 
guides him with a stick or sharp iron prong, with which he 
strikes the animal on the top of the head. Between the 
elephant and mahout there are relations of affection. The 
mahout lives with the elephant, gives him his food, and 
each animal has its own keeper. The huge creature be- 
j comes in time as docile as a kitten, and will obey any order 
of the mahout. The elephant reaches a great age. It is 
not long since there died at Calcutta the elephant which 
carried Warren Hastings when Governor General of India, 
a century ago. There are two methods of riding elephants. 
One is in a box like the four seats of a carriage, the other 
on a square quilted seat, your feet hanging over the sides, 
something like an Irish jaunting car. The first plan is 



jSo GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

good for hunting, but for comfort the second is the better. 
At a signal from the mahout the elephant slowly kneels. 
When the el-ephant rises, which he does two legs at a time, 
deliberately, the rider must hold on to the rail of the seat. 
Once on his feet, he swings along at a slow, wabbling pace. 
The motion is an easy one, like that of a boat in a light 
sea. In time, if going long distances, it becomes very 
tiresome. 

Arrived at Amb''", the General found Mrs. Grant with 
her couriers, havii.^ arrived some time before, and had 
mounted to a window high up in the palace, and was 
waving her handkerchief. The visitors had reached the 
temple while worship was in progresso Dr. Hendley 
informed the General that he was in time to take part 
in the services and to see the priest offer up a kid. 
Every day in the year in this temple a kid is offered 
up as a propitiation for the sins of the Maharajah. 

The temple was little more than a room in the palace — a 
private chapel. At one end was a platform raised a few inch 
es from the ground and coverea over,, On this platform were 
the images of the gods — of the special God. Whatever 
the god, the worship was in full progress, and there was 
the kid ready for sacrifice. Entering the enclosure, the 
visitors stood with uncovered heads; only some half a dozen 
worshipers were crouching on the ground. One of the 
attendants held the kid, while the priest was crouching over 
it, reading from the sacred books, and in a half humming, 
half whining chant blessing the sacrifice, and as he said 
each prayer putting some grain or spice or oil on its head. 
The poor animal licked the crumbs as they fell about it, 
quite unconscious of its holy fate. Another attendant took 
a sword and held it before the priest. He read some pray- 
ers over the sword and consecrated it. Then the kid was 
carried to the corner, where there was a small heap of sand 
pr ashes and a gutter to carry away the blood. The priest 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 3S1 

contiiiuccl his prayers, the kid's head was suddenly drawn 
down and with one blow severed from the body. The 
virtue of the sacrifice consists in the head falling at the first 
blow, and so expert do the priests become that at some of 
the great sacrifices, where bufTalo are offered up in expiation 
of the princely sins, they will take off the buffalo's head 
with one stroke of the sword. The kid, having performed 
the otiice of expiation, becomes useful for the priestly 
dinner. 

Of the palace of Amber the most one can say is that it 
is curious and interesting as the home of an Indian King in 
the days when India was ruled by her Kings, and a Hastings 
and a Clive had not come to rend and destroy. The 
Maharajah has not quite abandoned it. He comes some- 
tmies to tne great feasts of the faith, and a few apartments 
are kept for him. His rooms were ornamented with look- 
ing-glass decorations, with carved marble which the artisan 
had fashioned into tracery so delicate that it looked like 
lacework. What strikes one in this Oriental decoi*ation 19 
its tendency to light, bright, lacelike gossamer work, 
showing infinite pains and patience in the doing, but without 
any special value as a real work of art. The general effect of 
these decorations is agreeable, but all is done for effect. 
There is no such honest, serious work as you see in the 
Gothic cathedrals, or even in the Alhambra. One is the 
expression of a facile, sprightly race, fond of the sunshine, 
delighting to repeat the caprice of nature in the curious and 
quaint; the other has a deep, earnest purpose. This is an 
imagination which sees its gods in every form — in stones 
and trees and l)easts and creeping things, in the stars above, 
in the snake wriggling through the hedges — the other sees 
only one God, even the Lord God Jehovah, who made the 
heavens and the earth and will come to judge the world at 
the last day. As you wander through the courtyards and 
chambers of Amber, the fancy is amused by the charac- 



382 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

ter of all that surrounds you. There is no luxury. All 
these Kings wanted was air and sunshinco They slept on 
the floor. The chambers of their wives were little more 
than cells built in stone. Here are the walls that surround- 
ed their section of the palace. There are no windows 
looking into the outer world, only a thick stone wall 
pierced with holes slanting upward, so that if a curious 
spouse looked out she would see nothing lower than the 
stars. Amber is an immense palace, and could quite ac- 
commodate a rajah with a court of a thousand attendants. 

There were some beautiful views from the terrace. The 
General would like to have remained, but the elephants had 
been down to the water to lap themselves about, and were 
now returning refreshed to bear us back to Jeypore. The 
visitors had only given themselves a day for the town, and 
had to return the call of the Prince, which is a serious 
task in Eastern etiquette. 

Mr. Borie was much exhausted by his ride and the heat 
of the sun, and was prevailed upon to make the descent in 
a chair, as Mrs. Grant had done. Returning to JeyjDore 
the same day, our party were very tired, and early sought 
rest. 

The following day, at Jeypore, the General visited the 
school of arts and industry, in whicli he was greatly inter- 
ested, one of his special subjects of inquiry being the indus- 
trial customs and resources of the country. This school is 
one of the Prince's fixvorite schemes, and the scholars showed 
aptness in their work. Jeypore excels in the manufacture 
of enameled jcwclrv; some of the specimens seen were 
exceedingly beautiful and costly. The Mint was visited, 
and here the workmen were seen beating the coin and 
stamping it. 

At the collection of tigers, a half dozen brutes were 
cageL, each of whom had a historv. There were man-eaters; 
one enormous creature had killed twenty-five men before 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 383 

he was captured. Having passed the day in seeing the 
siglits, the party returned to the Residency, and found a 
group of servants, from the palace, on the veranda, each 
carrying a tray hiden with sweetmeats and nuts, oranges 
and fruit. This was an oflering from the Prince, and it 
was necessary that the General should touch some of the 
fruit and taste it, and say how much he was indebted to 
His Highness for the remembrance; then the servants re- 
turned to the palace. 

The Maharajah sent word that he would receive Gen- 
eral Grant at five. The Maharajah is a pious prince, a de- 
votee, and almost an ascetic. He gives seven hours a day 
to devotions. He partakes only of one meal. When he is 
through with his prayers he plays billiards. He is the hus- 
band of ten wives. His tenth wife was married to him a 
few weeks ago. The court gossip is that he did not want 
another wife, that nine were enough; but in polygamous 
countries marriages are made to please families, to consoli- 
date alliances, to win friendships, very often to give a home 
to the widows or sisters of friends. The Maharajah was 
under some duress of thic kind, and his bride was brought 
home, and is now with her sister brides behind the stone 
walls, killing time as she best can, while her lord prays and 
plays billiards. These wives live in cloistered seclusion. 
They are guarded by eunuchs, and even when ill are not 
allowed to look into the face of a physician, but put their 
hands through a screen. It was said in Jeypore that no face 
of a Rajput Princess was ever seen by a European. 

These prejudices are respected and protected by the Im- 
perial Government, which respects and protects every cus- 
tom in India so long as the States behave themselves and 
pay tribute. In their seclusion the princesses adorn them- 
selves, see the Xautch girls dance, and read romances. 
They are not much troubled by the Maharajah, That 
great prince, I hear, is tired of everything but his devotions 



384 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

and his billiards. He has no children, and is not supposed 
to have hopes of an heir. He will, as is the custom in these 
high families, adopt some prince of an auxiliar)' branch. 

The government of the kingdom is hi the hands of a 
council, among whom are the Prime Minister and the prin- 
cipal brahmin. 

General Grant drove to the palace at four o'clock, and 
at once inspected the stables. There were some fine horses, 
and exhibitions of horsemanship which astonished even the 
General. He was shown the astronomical buildings of Jai 
Singh n., which were on a large scale and accurately graded. 
He climbed to the top of the palace, and had a fine view of 
Jeypore. The palace itself embraces one-sixth of the city, 
and there are ten thousand people within Its walls — beg- 
gars, soldiers, priests, politicians, all manner of human 
beings — who live on the royal bounty. The town looked 
picturesque and cool in the shadows of the descending sun. 

At five precisely we entered the courtyard leading 
to the reception hall. The Maharajah came slowly down 
the steps, with a serious, preoccupied air, not as an old man, 
but as one who was too weary with a day's labors to make 
any effort, and shook hands with the General and IMrs. 
Grant. He accompanied the General to a seat of honor 
and sat down at his side. They all arranged themselves 
in the chairs. On the side of the General sat the mem- 
bers of his party ; on the side of the Maharajah the mem- 
bers of his Cabinet. Dr. Hendley acted as interpreter. 
The Prince said Jeypore was honored in seeing the face 
of the great American ruler, whose tame had reached 
Ilindostan. The General said he had enjoyed his visit, 
that he was pleased and surprised with the prosperity of 
the people, and he should have felt he had lost a great 
deal if he had come to India and not seen Jeypore. The 
Maharajah expressed regret that the General made so 
short a stay. The General answered that he came to 



TOUR AROUND TlIK WORLD. 385 

India late, and was rather pressed for time from the fact 
that he wished to see tlie Viceroy before he left Calcutta, 
and to that end had promised to be in Calcutta or 
jSIarch lo. 

His Highness then made a gesture, and a troop o\ 
dancing girls came into the court-yard. One of th< 
features of a visit to Jeypore is wliat is called the Nautch 
The Nautch is a sacred affair, danced by Hindoo girls of 
a low caste in the presence of the idols in the palace 
temple. A group of girls came trooping in, untler the 
leadership of an old fellow with a long beard and a hard 
^ expression of face, who might have been the original of 
Dickens' Fagin. The girls wore heavy garments em- 
broidered, the skirts composed of many folds, covered 
with gold braid. They had ornaments on their heads and 
jewels in the side of the nose. They had plain faces, and 
carried out the theory of caste, if there be anything in 
such a theory, in the contrast between theii- features and the 
delicate, sharply-cut lines of the higher class Brahmins 
and the other castes who surrounded the Prince. The 
girls formed in two lines, a third line was composed of 
four musicians, who performed a low, growling kind of 
music on unearthly instruments. The dance had no value 
in it, either as an expression of harmony, grace or motion. 
The Nautch dance is meaningless. It is not even im- 
proper. It is attended by no excitement, no manifesta- 
tions of religious feeling. A group of course, ill-formed 
women stood in the lines, walked and twisted about, 
breaking now and then into a chorus, which added to the 
din of the instruments. This was the fimous Nautch 
dance, which they were to see in Jeypore with amazement, 
and to remember as one of the sights of India. Either as 
an amusement or a religious ceremony it had no vahie. 
The General did not appreciate the dance, though he 
remained during its performance. Dr. Hendley, evidentlr 



386 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

thinking that the dance had served every useful purpose^ 
said a word to the Prince, who made a sign, the dance 
stopped, the girls vanished, and the whole party retired to 
the billiard room. 

The Maharajah plays billiards when he is not at prayers. 
He was anxious to have a game with the General. The 
General played in an indiscriminate, promiscuous manner, 
and made some wonderful shots in the way of missing balls 
he intended to strike. Mr. Borie, whose interest in the 
General's fortunes extends to billiards, began to deplore 
those eccentric experiments, when the General said he had 
not played billiards for thirty years. The Maharajah tried 
to lose the game, and said to one of his attendants that he 
was anxious to show the General that delicate mark of hos- 
pitality. The game ended, His Highness winning. 

Then they strolled into the gardens, and looked at the 
palace towers, which the Prince took pleasure in showing 
to the General, and which looked airy and beautiful in the 
rosy shadows of the descending sun. There were beds of 
flowers and trees, and the coming night, which comes so 
swiftly in these latitudes, brought a cooling breeze. Then 
His Highness gave each a photograph of his royal person, 
consecrated with his royal autograph, which he wrote on 
the top of a marble railing. Then they strolled toward the 
grand hall of ceremony to take leave. Taking leave is a 
solemn act in India. The party entered the spacious hall, 
where the Prince received the Prince of Wales. Night 
had come so rapidly, that servants came in all directions 
carrying candles and torches that lit up the gaudy and glit- 
tering hall. An attendant carried a tray bearing wreaths 
of the rose and jasmine. The Maharajah, taking two of 
these wreaths, put them on the neck of the General. He 
did the same to Mrs. Grant, and all the members of the 
party. Then, taking a string of gold and silken cord, he 
placed that on Mrs. Grant as a special honor. The Gen- 



I 



iOUR AKOUNH THE WORLD. ^Hcj 

oral, who was instructed ])y the English Resident, took 
four wreaths and put them on the neck of the Maharajah, 
who pressed his hands and bowed his thanks. Another 
servant came, bearing a small cup of gold and gems con- 
taining ottar of roses. The Maharajah, putting some of 
the perfume on his fingers, transferred it to Mrs. Grant's 
liand kerchief. With another portion he passed his hands 
along the General's breast and shoulders. This was done to 
each of the party. The General then taking the perfume, 
passed his hands over the Maharajah's shoulders, and so 
concluding the ceremony, which, in all royal interviews in 
the East, is supposed to mean a lasting friendship. Then 
the Prince, taking General Grant's hand in his own, led 
him from the hall, across the garden and to the gateway of 
his palace, holding his hand all the t'me. The carriages 
were waiting, and the Prince took his leave saying how 
much he was honored by the General's visit. The cavalry 
escort formed in line, the guard presented arms, and the 
visitors drove at full gallop to their home. And so ended 
one of the most interesting and eventful days in the Gen- 
eral's visit to India. 



CHAPTER XXXIl. 



STILL IN INDIA. 

General Grant and party visited the Maharajah of Burt- 
poor, a young prince about thirty years of age. His state 
is small — its area i ,974 miles, with a population of ^43,710, 
and a revenue of $15,000,000. The day was hot, and the 
ride had been through a low" country, the scenery not very 
attractive at the best, but now brown and arid under a 
steaming sun. Arrived at the station, all Burtpoor seemed 
to be awaiting the General's appearance, with the Maha- 
rajah at the head. The prince w^as accompanied by the 
British officers attached to his court, and, advancing, shook 
hands with the General and welcomed him to his capital. 
He wore a blazing uniform, covered with jewels. He had 
a firm, stern face, with strong features, a good frame, and 
unlil^e his brother of Jeypore, who gives his days to prayers 
and his evenings to billiards; and, although he has the Star 
of India, has long since seen the vanity of human glory, 
and hates power, is a soldier and a sportsman, and is called 
a firm and energetic ruler. From the station the party 
drove to the palace, through a town whose dismantled walls 
speak of English valor and English shame, past bazaars, 
where people seemed to sell nothing, only to broil in the 
sunshine, and under a high archway into a courtyard, and 
thence to the palace. There was nothing special about the 
palace, except that it was very large and very uncomfortable. 
The prince does not live in this palace, but in one more 
suited to Oriental tastes. It was here where he received 

390 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



391 



the Prince of Wales on the occasion of his visit in 1876. 
There was a breakfast prepared, which the prince left his 
guests to enjoy in company with their English friends. In 
this country the hospitality of the highest princes never 
goes so far as to ask you to eat. The rules of caste are so 
marked that the partaking of food with one of another 
caste, and especially of another race, would be defilement. 
The host at the close of the breakfast returned in state, and 
there was the ceremony of altar and pan, and cordial inter- 
changes of good feeling between the Maharajah and the 
General. 

The General and party visited the famous ruins of 
Futtehpoor Sikva. In the days of the great Moham- 
medan rulers there was none so great as Akbar. He 
founded the city and built the palace. The night had fallen 
before the visitors arrived at their destination, so that they 
were compelled to remain over night in the ruins. Mr. 
Lawrence, the British Collector at Agra, had sent forward 
bed and bedding, and all that was necessary to make the 
guests comfortable. After a night's rest, the following 
morning an early start was made to view the ruins. To 
see all of this stupendous ruin would include a ride around 
a circumference of seven miles. The ruins were well worth 
a study. The General examined first a courtyard, or quad- 
rangle, four hundred and thirty-three feet by three hundred 
and sixty-six feet. On one side of this is the mosque, which 
is a noble building, suffering, however, from the over- 
shadowing grandeur of the principal gateway, the finest, it 
is said, in India, looming up out of the ruins with stately 
and graceful splendor, but dwarfing the other monuments 
and ruins. This was meant as an arch of triumph to the 
glory of the Emperor, " King of Kings," " Heaven of the 
Court," and " Shadow of God." There are many of these 
inscriptions in Arabic, a translation of which is found in 
Mr. Keene's handbook. The most suggestive is this; 



392 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

"Know that the world is a glass, where the f:ivor has come 
and gone. Take as thine own nothing more than what 
thou lookest upon." The prevailing aspect of the archi- 
tecture was Moslem, with traces of Hindoo taste and deco- 
ration. The mosque, the tombs and the gateway are all 
well preserved. At one of the mosques were a number of 
natives in prayer, who interrupted their devotions long 
enough to show General Grant the delicate tracing on the 
walls and beg a rupee. One of the pleasures of wandering 
among these stupendous ruins is to wander alone and take 
in the full meaning of the work and the genius of the men 
who did it. The guides have nothing to tell you. The 
ruins to them are partly dwelling-places, pretexts for beg- 
ging rupees. 

General Grant and party visited Benares — the sacred 
city of the Hindoos — a city of temples, idols, priests, and 
worship. The General found so much to interest him in 
India that it was a source of regret to him that he did not 
come earlier in the season. Every hour in the country had 
been full of interest, and the hospitality of the officials and 
the people so generous and profuse, that his way had been 
especially pleasant. Travel during the day in India Is very 
severe. Mrs. Grant stood the journey, especially the se- 
verer phases of it, marvellously, and justifies the reputation 
for endurance and energy which she won on the Nile. 
The General is a severe and merciless traveler, who never 
tires, always ready for an excursion or an experience, as in- 
different to the comforts or necessities of the way as if he 
had been on the tented field. Upon arriving at the station 
of Benares, Mr. Daniels, the representative of the Viceroy, 
met the General and party. A large guard of honor was 
in attendance, accompanied by the leading military and 
civic English representatives and native rajahs, who walked 
down the line with uncovered heails. 

In honor of the General's coming, the road from the 



TOUR AROUND TIFF, WORLD. 393 

station to the Government House had been ilhiminated. 
Poles had been stuck in the ground on either side of the 
road, and from these poles lanterns and small glass ves- 
els filled with oil were swinging. So as they drove, before 
and behind was an avenue of light that recalled the Paris 
boulevards as seen from Montmartre. It was a long drive 
to the house of the Commissioner. A part of his house 
Mr. Daniels gave to General and Mrs. Grant and Mr. Borie. 
For the others there were tents in the garden. 

Benares, the sacred city of the Hindoos, sacred also to 
the Buddhists, is one of the oldest in the world. Macau- 
lay's description, so familiar to all, is worth reprinting, from 
the vividness with which it represents it, as to-day. " Ben- 
ares," says Macaulay, in his essay on Warren Hastings, 
"was a city which, in wealth, population, dignity and sanc- 
tity, was among the foremost in Asia. It was commonly 
believed that half a million human beings were crowded 
into that labyrinth of lofty alleys, rich with shrines and 
minarets, and balconies and carved oriels, to which the 
sacred apes clung by hundreds. The traveler could scarcely 
make his way through the piess of holy mendicants and 
not less holy bulls. The broad and stately flights of steps 
which descended from these swarming haunts to the bath- 
ing places along the Ganges were worn every day by the 
footsteps of an innumerable multitude of worshipers. 
The schools and temples drew crowds of pious Hindoos 
from every province where the Brahminical faith was 
known. Hundreds of devotees came thither every month 
to die, for it was believed that a peculiarly happy fate 
awaited the man who should pass from the sacred city 
into the sacred river. Nor was superstition the only motive 
which allured strangers to that great metropolis. Com- 
merce had as many pilgrims as religion. All along the 
shores of the venerable stream lay great fleets of vessels 
laden with rich merchandise. From the looms of Benares 



394 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

went forth the most delicate silks that adorned the halls o5 
St. James and Verseilles; and in the bazaars the muslins 
of Bengal and the sabres of Oude were mingled with the 
jewels of Golconda and the shawls of Cashmere." Ben- 
ares to one-half the human race — to the millions in China 
who profess Buddhism and the millions in India who wor- 
ship Brahma — is as sacred as Jerusalem to the Christian 
or jMecca to the Mohammedan. Its greatness was known 
in the days of Nineveh and Babylon, when, as another 
writer says, " Tyre was planting her colonies, when Athens 
was gaining in strength, before Rome became known, or 
Greece had contended with Persia, or Cyrus had added to 
the Persian monarchy, or Nebuchadnezzar had captured 
Jerusalem." The name of Benares excites deep emotions 
in the breast of every pious Kmaoo, and his constant prayer 
is, " Holy Kasi! Would that I could see the eternal city 
favored of the gods ! Would that I might die on its sacred 
soil!" 

Benares is a city of priesta. Its population is over twa 
hundred thousand; of this ntinioer twenty-five thousana 
are Brahmins. They govern the city, and hold its temples, 
w^ells, shrines and streams. Pilgrims are constantly arriv- 
ing; as many as two hundred thousand come in the course 
of the year. Not long since, one authority counted fourteen 
hundred and fifty-four Hindoo temples, and two hundred 
and seventy-two mosques. In addition to the temples, 
there are shrines — cavities built in walls, containing the 
image of some god — as sacred as the temples. Pious 
rahjas are always adding to the temples and shrines. The 
streets are so narrow that only in the widest can even an 
elephant make his way. They are alleys — narrow alleys, 
not streets — and, as you thread your way through them, 
you feel as if the town were one house, the chambers only 
separated bv narrow passages. Benares, tlie holy city — 
holy even now in the eyes of more than half the human , 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 395 

race — whose glories, religious and civic, have been forgot- 
ten in the noise and glitter of our recent civilization. 

The priest is a sacred ruler. He is the first in caste; 
the world was made for him, and other men depend upon 
him. If he is angry and curses, his curses can overturn 
thrones, scatter troops, even destroy this world and summon 
other worlds into existence. He is above the King in dig- 
nity. His life is sacred, and, no matter the enormity of the 
crime, he cannot be condemned to death. The Brahmins 
are the strongest social and religious force in Hindostan. 
Benares is their city. The policy which founded the order 
of Jesuits has often been cited as a masterpiece of govern- 
ment, of combining the strongest intellectual force toward 
missionary enterprise. But the order of Jesuits is a society 
under rules and dlsciplme only bmclmg its members. The 
Brahmins not only govern themselves as rigidly as the 
Jesuits, and hold themselves ready to go as far in the serv- 
ice of their faith, but they have imposed their will upon 
every other class. Men of the world, men in other callings, 
use the name of Jesuit as a term or reproacn, ana even 
Catholic kings have been known to banish them and put 
them outside of civil law. There is not a prince in Hindos- 
tan who would dare to jDUt a straw in the path of a Brah- 
min. Brahminism is one of the oldest institutions in tne 
world, one of the most extraordinary developments of 
human intellect and discipline, and there is no reason to 
supjDOse that its power over India will ever pass away. 

Here is the sacred river Ganges. No office is so sacred 
to the dead as to burn his body on the banks of the Ganges. 
Several slabs were observed near the burning Ghat; these 
were in memory of widows who had burned themselves on 
that spot in honor of their husbands, according to the old 
rite of suttee. Benares sits on the sacred river, an emblem 
of the strange religion which has made it a holy city, and 
there is solemnity in the thought that for ages she has kept 



396 



GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 



her place on the Ganges ; that for ages her shrines have been 
holy to millions of men ; that for ages the wisest and purest 
and best of the Indian race have wandered as pilgrims 
through her narrow streets and plunged themselves as peni- 
tents into the waters to wash away their sins. It is all a 
dark superstition, but let us honor Benares for the comfort 
she has given to so many millions of sinful, sorrowing 
souls. And as the white towers and steps of Benares, glis- 
tening in the sunshine, are left behind, the tourists look 
back upon it with something of the respect and affection 
that belong to antiquity, and which are certainly not 
unworthily bestowed upon so renowned, so sacred and so 
venerable a city. 

General Grant visited Delhi. Upon his arrival there 
was a grand reception by troops, and the General and his 
wife drove to Ludlow Castle, the home of the chief officer. 
Delhi is a beautiful city, as the houses are built for air, and 
not, as in American cities, several stories high. This will 
account for the great size of Indian cities — that they are so 
many miles long and so many broad. 

There are few cities in the world which have had a 
more varied and more splendid career than Delhi. It is 
the Rome of India, and the history of India centres around 
Delhi. It has no such place as Benares in the religion of 
the people, but to the Indians it is what Rome in the 
ancient days was to the Roman Empire. One of its au- 
thentic monuments goes back to the fourth century before 
Christ. Its splendor began with the rise of the Mogul 
empire, and the splendor of the Moguls is seen in what 
they built, and the severity of their creed in what they 
destroyed. Outside of the English section, nothing but the 
ruins and desolation of many wars and dynasties. 

From the Cashmere gate to the Rutab, a ride of eleven 
miles, your road is through monumental ruins — tombs, 
temples, mausoleums, mosques, in all directions. The hori- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 397 

zon is studded with minarets and domes, all ahantloned, 
and many in ruins. 

The General and party visited the palace of the Grand 
Mogul; saw the throne of Aurungzebe — the peacock 
throne. This was simply a mass of jewels and gold, val- 
ued at thirty millions of dollars. Mr. Beresford, in his 
book on Delhi, says it was called the peacock throne from 
its having the figures of two peacocks standing behind it, 
their tails expanded, and the whole so inlaid with sapphires, 
rubies, emeralds, pearls and other precious stones of aj^pro- 
priate colors, as to represent life. The throne itself was six 
feet long by four feet broad. It stood on six massive feet, 
which, with the body, were of solid gold, inlaid with rubies, 
emeralds and diamonds. It was supported by a canopy of 
gold, upheld by twelve pillars, all richly emblazoned with 
costly gems, and a fringe of pearls ornamented the borders 
of the canojDy. 

A visit to the Kutab tower was worthy of remem- 
brance. This tower ranks among the wonders of India. 
It is two hundred and thirty -eight feet high, sloping from 
the base, which is forty-seven feet in diameter, to the sum- 
mit, which is nine feet. It is composed of five sections or 
stories, and with every story there is a change in the de- 
sign. The lower section has twenty-four sides, in the fornj 
Df convex flutings, alternately semi-circular and rectangu 
'ar. In the second section they are circular, the third angv 
lav, the fourth a plain cylinder, and the fifth partly fluted 
and partly plain. At each basement is a balcony. On the 
lower sections are inscriptions in scroll work, reciting, in 
Arabic characters, the glory of God, verses from the Koran, 
and the name and achievements of the conqueror who buii- 
the tower. It is believed that, when really complete, with 
the cujDola, it must have been twenty feet higher. 

Attended by an ofiicer who took part in the siege, the 
General visited the lines held bv the English and the Se 



39^ GENERAL U. S. oRANt's 

poys during the inutiiiy, when the English Empire in India 
depended for months upon the valor and endurance of the 
small army which invested Delhi. 

On February 28, General Grant arrived at Calcutta. The 
railroad authorities, not having any intimation of the Gen- 
eral's visit, made no arrangements for his reception at the 
railway station. Only a few gentlemen were present. A 
company of the Madras Fourteenth Regiment, with band 
and colors, were drawn up in line on the platform, and at 
the bridge was posted the European constabulary of the 
Calcutta joolice, under the superintendence of Mr. Percy. 
The gentlemen on the platform were Captain Muir, Aide- 
de-Camp to His Excellency the Viceroy; Mr. Lambert, the 
Deputy Commissioner of Police; General Litchfield, the 
American Consul; Mr. R. Macallister, Mr. Frederick 
Coke, Mr. Manockjee Rustomjee and son, and some mas 
icrs of American ships in the river. When the tram ar^ 
rived, some difficulty was experienced in finding the car 
riage the General was m, as it was rar down ihe platform., 
where the company of soldiers was drawn up. The Gen- 
eral, Mrs. Grant and Colonel Grant, and two gentlemen 
belonging to his staff, then stepped out of a first-class car- 
riage and were received by the gentlemen, one of whom 
handed to the General a letter from Nawab Abdul Gunny 
Meah, of Dacca, inviting the General over to his place- 
The party then drove to Government House, in two car- 
riages of the VJceroy, which were in waiting outside the 
platform. As the party neared Government House, there 
was a salute of twenty-one guns. In the evening the Vice- 
roy cntertaiiic<l tlic General and his partv at a dinner-party 
at Government House. About fift)' ladies and gentlemen 
were honored with invitations to meet them. After the 
toast of the Queen-Empress was diank, Lord Lvtton rose, 
and spoke as follows: 

" Ladies and Gentlemen — I sincerely believe that 



TOUU AROUND THE WOFILD. 4OI 

there is no toast unconnectetl with our own country and its 
institutions whicii is honored with (greater cortliahty by 
Englishmen of all classes, and in all parts of the world, 
than the toast I am now about to propose to you — because, 
ladies and gentlemen, we English cannot look, and never 
do look, upon America as a foreign country, or upon the 
American people as a foreign people. They are flesh of 
our flesh and bone of our bone. It is true, no doubt, that 
our fathers and their fathers have had their family quarrels, 
over which they have shaken hands — for quarrels will oc- 
casionally occur in the best regulated families; but these 
are quarrels which I trust that neither their children nor 
our children will ever iiave occasion to renew, for they have 
been practically settled by a separation of political partner- 
ship, prolific in substantial benefits to the best interests o' 
mankind. IMean while, we Englishmen of the present day 
all regard our American kinsfolk as, if I may say so, the 
rising generation, and the most go-ahead representative o^ 
that good old sturdy famuy stock which, while lovingly, 
loyally and, I hope, lastingly honoring and keeping hon* 
ored its ancestral roof-tree, still sends forth from its little 
island home in the northern seas the hardy ofl^spring of a 
race that has planted and is spreading in every quarter of 
the habitable globe the language in which Shakspeare 
wrote, the liberty for which Washington so nobly labored, 
the social principles of the Code of Blackstone, and the 
ethical principles of the creed of Christianity. 

" Ladies and Gentlemen, the toast I am going to 
propose to you is that of the President of the United States 
of America. This is a toast to which I am sure vou would, 
in an\- circumstances, respond with cordialitw But I am 
confident that in tlie circumstances which have brought us 
together this evening vour cordiality will be ciuickened by 
the presence of an eminent guest who has twice tilletl with 
renown the high office we are about to honor in the per- 



_j.02 GENERAL U. S. (IKANTS 

son of its present incumbent. That office, ladies and gen- 
tlemen, is, I think, the highest that can possibly be held — 
the highest that ever has been filled by the citizen of a free 
country, and never has that high office been more v^orthily 
won or more worthily filled than by the distinguished sol- 
dier to whose sword America is Indebted for the re-estab- 
lished Union and permanent peace of those great sovereign 
States, over whose united destinies he has twice success- 
fully presided. It was said by the great poet of our own 
commonwealth that ' peace hath her victories no less re- 
nowned than war,' and with the victories of peace, as well 
as those of war, I am persuaded that the name of General 
Grant will long be honorably associated by a double re- 
nown. 

" Ladies and Gentlemen, it is neither customary nor 
proper to couple the name of any private individual, 
however eminent he may be, with toasts proposed in honor 
of the ruling jDower of a sovereign state. I am not going 
to infringe that rule; and, as regards the rules of hospi- 
tality, I think you must all feel that of hospitality and of 
svmpathy the best expression is in deeds, not words. I 
think, therefore, that it would be on my part an inhospita- 
ble deed if to this toast I added any words which would 
possibly require from our honored guest the conventional 
formality of a reply. But, ladies and gentlemen, this at 
least let me say before I sit down: General Ulysses Grant 
like his classic namesake, has seen men and cities in almost 
every j)art of the world, enlarging the genius of the states- 
man and the soldier by the experience of the traveler. Let 
us hope that when he returns to that great empire of the 
West, which he has once rescued and twice ruled, he will 
at least take with him a kindly recollection of his brief so- 
journ in this empire of the East, where his visit will long 
l)e lemcmbered with gratification bv many sincere friends 
and well wishers. Lailies and gentlemen, I have now to 



TOUR AKOlTxn THE WORLD. 4©^ 

request that you will fill your glasses and drink with all 
honor to our last toast this evening. 'The President of 
the United States of America.' " 

General Grant replied, briefly returning thanks for the 
honor tendered him. 

After a continuous round of enjoj-ment and thorough 
inspection of all points of interest, the General left Calcutta 
by steamer for a visit to British Burmah. Arriving at the 
city of Rangoon, General Grant and jwrty were saluted In- 
two British men-of-war. They had their yards manned in 
honor of the General. All the vessels in the river were 
gaily dressed. The landing was covered with scarlet cloth, 
and the American and British standards were blended. 
All the town seemed to be out, and the river bank was 
lined with the multitude, who looked on in tjbeir passive 
Oriental fashion at the pageant. As soon as the boat came 
to the wharf, Mr. Aitcheson, the Commissioner, came on 
board, accompanied by Mr. Leishmann, the American Vice- 
Consul, and bade the General welcome to Burmah. 

On landing, the General was presented to the leading 
citizens and oflicials, and officers of the men-of-war. The 
guard of honor presented arms, and they all drove away to 
the Government House, a pretty, commodious bungalow in 
the suburbs, buiied among trees. Mr. Aticheson is one of 
the most distinguished officers in the Indian service. He 
was for some time Foreign Secretary to Calcutta. Burmah, 
however, is already one of the most important of the Brit- 
ish colonies in Asia, and this importance is not diminished 
by the critical relations between British Burmah and the 
court of the King. Consequently, England requires the 
best service possible in Burmah, and, as a result of her 
policy of sending her wisest men to the most useful places, 
Mr. Aitcheson finds himself in Rangoon. 

The days spent in Rangoon were pleasant; the town is 
interesting. The streets are wide and rectangular, like 



.|06 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

those of Philadelphia, and the shade trees are grateful. 
Over the city, on a height, which you can see from afar, is 
a pagoda, one of the most famous in Asia. It is covered 
with gilt, and in the evening, when we first raw it, the sun's 
rays made it dazzling. This is the land of Buddha and 
that remarkable religion called Buddhism. 

Unlike Brahminism, there is no institution of caste, no 
priestly caste. The priests are taken from any rank in life, 
never marry, and they deny themselves all the pleasures of 
the sense, live a monastic life, dress in yellow gowns, shave 
their heads and beards, and walk barefooted. The priests 
go in procession. They chant hymns and prayers, and burn 
incense. They carry strings of beads like the rosary, which 
they count and fumble as the say their prayers. There is 
no single, solemn ceremony like the sacrifice of the mass. 
Priests and people kneel before the images surrounded by 
blazing wax lights, the air heavy with incense. They pray 
together, the priests only known by the yellow gowns. 
They pray kneeling with clasped, uplifted hands. Some- 
times they hold in their hands a rose, or a morsel of rice, or 
a fragment of bread, as an offering. During their prayers, 
they frequently bend their bodies so that the face touches 
the ground. There are convents for women. The tem- 
ples are places of rest and refuge. Hither come the unfor- 
tunate, the poor, the needy, the halt and blind, the belated 
traveler. All are received, and all are given food and 
alms. 

Rangoon is not only interesting from a religious sense, 
but it one of the largest commercial centers of the British 
colonies, and General Grant found no part of his visit more 
interesting, or more worthy of his attention, than the devel- 
opment of the commerce of Rangoon with the United 
States. American merchandise now goes to Burmah in 
English ships, and has to pay an English tax before it 
can enter this market. With a little effort on the part of 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 407 

the merchants of the United States, a large market would 
be found for " Yankee notions," petroleum and ice; for, if 
proper houses were built for storing ice, it could be made a 
steady and profitable trade. Ice is now made by machinery, 
but it is poor, costly and unsatisfactory, and the machinery 
constantly out of order. 

A trade based on those articles, established in Rangoon, 
would supply Burmah, permeate Upper Burmah, Siam and 
China, and make its way into the islands and settlements. 

No country in the East is more worthy of the attention 
of our merchants than Burmah; the harvest is rijo*, and 
whoever comes in will reap a hundred fold. 



CHAPTIvK XXXIII. 



GENERAL GRANT IN SIAM. 

General Grant, on landing at Singapore, was landed 
an autograph letter by Major Struder — a letter enclosed 
in an envelope of blue satin, from the King of Siam; the 
letter read as follows: 

The Grand Palace, Bangkok, ) 

4th February, 1S79. ) 
My Dear Sir: Having heard from my Minister 
for Foreign Affairs, on the authority of the United States 
Consul, that you are expected in Singapore on your way 
to Bangkok, I beg to express the pleasure I shall have 
in making your acquaintance. Possibly you may arrive 
in Bangkok during my absence at my country residence, 
Bang Pa In; in .which case a steamer will be j^laced at 
your disposal to bring you to me. On arrival I beg 
you to communicate with His Excellency, my Minister 
for Foreign Affairs, who will arrange for your reception 
and entertainment. 

Yours very truly, 

Chulahlongkorn, R„ S. 
To General Grant y late President of t/ie United States. 

The letter that the King had taken the trouble to send 
all the way to Singapore, and the desire of General Grant 
to see all that was to be seen, decided him in accepting 
this flattering invitation, and visit Siam. So the General 
and party picpared at once for Siam. A heavy rain 
swept over Singapore as they embarked on the small 
ste%ani('r Kang See, on the morning of the 9th of April. 

408 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 409 

The run to Bangkok is set down at four days, and 
sometimes there are severe storms in the Gulf of Siam; 
but fortune was with them in this, as it had, indeed, 
been with them, so far as weather at sea is concerned, ever 
since they left Marseilles. The evening of their sailing 
some one happened to remember was the anniversary of 
the surrender of Lee — fourteen years ago to-day — and 
the hero of the surrender was sitting on the deck of a 
small steamer smoking and looking at the clouds, and 
gravely arguing Mr. Borie out of a purpose which some 
one has wickedly charged him with entertaining — the 
purpose of visiting Australia and New Zealand and New 
Guinea, and spending the summer and winter in the Pacific 
Ocean. 

On the morning of the 14th of April, the little steamer 
in putting into Bangkok lost her reckoning and could not 
pass the inner bar. About ten o'clock the royal yacht 
anchored within a cable's length — a long, stately craft, 
with the American colors flying at the fore, and the royal 
colors at the main. A boat put off at once, conveying 
Mr. Sickles, our Consul, the son of the Foreign Minister, 
representing the Siamese government, and an aid of the 
King. Mr. Sickles presented the Siamese officials to the 
General, and the King's aid handed him the following 
letter, enclosed in an envelope of yellow satin : — 

The Grand Palace, Bangkok, > 
April II, 1879. ) 

Sir: I have verv great pleasure in welcoming you to 
Siam. It is, I am informed, your pleasure that your recep- 
tion should be a private one; but you must permit me to 
show, as far as I can, the high esteem in which I hold the 
most eminent citizen of that great nation which has been 
so friendly to Siam, and so kind and just in all its inter- 
course \vith the nations of the f;fr East. 

That you may be near me during your stay, I have 
commanded my brother. His Royal Highness the Celestial 
Prince Bhanurangsi Swangwongse, to prepare rooms for 



410 GENERAL U. S. GRAXT S 

vou and your party in the Saranrom Palace, close to my 
palace, and I most cordially invite you, Mrs. Grant and 
your party at once to take up 30ur residence there, and my 
brother will represent me as your host. 

Your friend, 

Chulahlongkorn, R. S. 

His Excellency General Grant, late President of the United States. 

At four o'clock the General embarked on a royal gon- 
dola, and was slowly pulled to the shore. The guard pre. 
sented arms, the cavalry escort wheeled into line, the band 
played "Hail Columbia." On ascending the stairs, Air. 
Alabaster, the royal interpreter. Captain Bush, an English 
officer commanding the Siamese navy, and a brilliant 
retinue, were in waiting. The Foreign Minister advanced 
and welcomed the General to Siam, and presented him to 
the other members of the suite. Then entering carriages, 
the General and party were driven to the palace of Hwang 
Saranrom, the home of His Royal Highness the Celestial 
Prince Bhanurangsi Swangwongse. As they drove past 
the barracks the artillery were drawn up in battery, and the 
cannon rolled out a salute of twenty-one guns. On reaching 
the palace a guard was drawn up, and another band played 
the American national air. At the gate of the palace, Phra 
Sri Dhammason, of the foreign office, met the General and 
escorted him to the door of the palace. Here he was met 
by his Excellency Phya Bashakarawangse, the King's pri- 
vate secretary, and a nobleman of rank corresponding to 
that of an English earl. At the head of the marble steps 
was His Royal Highness the Celestial Prince, wearing the 
decorations of the Siamese orders of nobility, surrounded 
by other princes of a lesser rank and the members of hii: 
household. Advancing, he shook hands with the General, 
and, offering his arm to Mrs. Grant, led the party to the 
grand audience chamber. Here all the party were presented 
to the Prince, and there was a short conversation. The 
Celestial Prince is a young man about twenty, with a clear, 



TOUR AHOrXD THE WOULD. 



til 



expressive face, who speaks English fairly well, but, during 
the interview, spoke Siamese, through Mr. Alabaster, w iio 
acted as interpreter. The Prince lamented the weather, 
which was untimely and severe. However, it would be a 
blessing to the country and the people, and His Royal 
Highness added a compliment that was Oriental in its 
delicacy when he said that the blessing of the rain was a 
blessing which General Grant had brought with him to 
Siam. The Prince then said that his palace was the Gen- 
eral's home, and that he had been commanded by the King, 
his brother, to say that anything in the Kingdom that would 
contribute to the happiness, comfort or honor of General 
Grant, was at his disposal. The Prince entered into con- 
versation with Mrs. Grant and the members of the Gen- 
eral's party. The General expressed himself delighted 
with the cordiality of his welcome, and said he had been 
anxious to see Siam, and would have regretted his inability 
to do so. The Prince offered his arm to Mrs. Grant, and 
escorted her and the, General to their apartments, while the 
members of his suite assigned the remainder of the party 
to the quarters they were to occupy while they lived in the 
capital of Siam. 

The evening was passed quietly, the General and party 
dining quietly with the Celestial Prince. The programme 
arranged by the King for the entertainment of his guests 
was submitted to Genei'al Grant, who regretted his inability 
to follow the whole of it. Not being on his own ship (the 
Richmond), which would have awaited his convenience, 
the General was compelled to return to Singapore on the 
ordinary mail steamer, w^hich, leaving on Friday, only left 
him five days for Bangkok. So one or two dinners were 
eliminated, the visits to the temples and elephants massed 
into one day, and the run up the river to Ayuthia, the old 
capital of Siam, added. 

On the morning after the General's nrrival, a visit was 



412 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



made to the ex-Regent. This aged statesman is one of the 
leading men in Siam, the first nobleman in the realm in 
influence and authority. He was the intimate friend and 
counsellor of the late King. He governed the Kingdom 
during the minority of the present sovereign. It w^as 
through his influence that the accession of His Majesty 
was secured without question or mutiny. He is now the 
chief of the Council of State, and governs several prov- 
inces of Siam with the power of life and death. His 
voice in council is potent, partly because of his rank and 
experience, and partly because of his old age, which is 
always respected in .Siam. Their journey to the Regent's 
was in boats in Venetian fashion, and, after a half-hour's 
pulling down one canal and up another, and across the river 
to a third canal, and up that to a fourth, they came to a 
large and roomy palace shaded with trees. Orders had been 
given by the King that the canals and river should be kept 
free from trading craft and other vessels at the hours set 
down in the programme for the official visits. As a con- 
sequence, whenever they took to their boats they pulled 
along at a rapid pace with no chance of collision. 

As the boat pulled up to the foot of the palace, the ex- 
Regent, his breast bearing many orders, was waiting to 
receive the General. He was accompanied by Mr. Chand- 
ler, an American gentleman who has spent many years in 
Siam, and knows the language perfectly. The ex-Regent 
is a small, spare man, with a clean-cut, well shaped head, 
and a face reminding you, in its outlines and the general set 
of the countenance, of the late M. Thiers. It lacked the 
vivacity which was the characteristic of M. Thiers, and 
was a grave and serious face. He advanced, shook hands 
with the General, and, taking his hand, led him up 
stairs to the audience room of the palace. A guard of 
honor presented arms, the band played. The Regent led 
us into his audience hall, and, placing General Grant on his 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



4>3 



right, we all ranged ourselves about him on chairs. An 
audience with an Eastern Prince is a serious and a solemn 
matter. The Siamese is a grave person. He shows you 
honor by speaking slowly, saying little, and making pauses 
between his speeches. After you take your seat, servants 
begin to float around. They bring you tea in small china 
cups — tea of a delicate and pure flavor, and unlike our own 
attempts in that direction. They bring you cigars, and in 
the tobacco way we noted a cigarette with a leaf made out 
of the banana plant, which felt like velvet between the lips, 
and is an improvement in the tobacco way which even the 
ripe culture of America on the tobacco question could with 
advantage accept. In Siam you can smoke in every place, 
and before^every presence, except in the presence of the 
King. 

The Regent, after some meditation, spoke of the great 
pleasure it had given him to meet with General Grant in 
Siam. He had long known and valued the friendship of the 
United States, and he was sensible of the good that had 
been done to Siam by the counsel and the enterprise of 
the Americans who had lived there. 

The General thanked the Regent, and was glad to 
know that his country was so much esteemed in the East. 
There w^is a pause and a cup of the enticing tea and some 
remarks on the weather. The General expressed a desire 
to know whether the unusual rain would affect the crops 
throughout the country. Tlie Regent said there was no 
such apprehension, and there was another pause, while the 
velvet-coated cigarettes and cigars passed into general c. 'cu- 
lation. The General spoke of the value to Siam and to 
all countries in the East of the widest commercial inter- 
course with nations of the outer world, and that, from all 
he could learn from the Siamese and the character of their 
resources, any extension of relations with other nations 
would be a gain to them. His Highness listened to this 



4'4 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

speech, as Mr. Chandler transhited it in a slow and delib- 
erate way, standing in front of the Regent, and intoning it 
almost as though it were a lesson from the morning service. 
Then there was another pause; then the Regent responded: 
Siam, he said, was a peculiar country. It was away 
from sympathy and communion with the greater nations. 
It was not in one of the great highways of commerce. Its 
people were not w^arlike nor aggressive. It had no desire 
to share in the strifes and wars of other nations. It existed 
by the friendship of the great powers. His policy had 
always been to cultivate that friendship, to do nothing to 
offend any foreign power, to avoid controversy or pretexts 
for intervention by making every concession. 

All this was spoken slowly, deliberately, as if every 
sentence was weighed, the old Minister speaking slowly. 
like one in meditation. His deliberate speech seemed to 
have unusual significance, and made a deep impression 
upon his visitors — the impression that he who spoke wa/ 
one in authority and a sratcsmun. After further talk, rnc 
Regent addressed himself to Mr. Borie, and asked him his 
age. Mr. Boi'ie answered that he was sixty-nine. " I am 
seventy-tv/o," said the Regent: "but you look much 
older." It is a custom in Siamese, when you wish pay a 
compliment to an elderlv person, to tell him how old he 
looks, to compliment him on his gray hairs and the lines in 
his brow. In speaking with Mi". Borie, the Regent became 
almost playful. " You must not have the trouble of a navy.i 
in another war." Mr. Borie expressed his horror of war, 
and added that America had had enough of it. " At our 
time of life," said the Regent, putting his hand on Mr. 
Borie's shoulder in a half playful, half affectionate manner, 
" we need repose, and that our lives should be made smooth! 
and free from care, and we should not be burdened withi 
authority or grave responsibilities. That belongs to the 
others. I hope you will be sj)arcd any cares." This 



TOUK AROUND THE WORLD. 4x5 

practically closed the interview, and the Regent, taking the 
hand of the General in his own, in Oriental fashion, led 
him down-stairs and across the entrance-way to the boat, 
the troops saluting and the band playing. Then he took a 
cordial farewell of Mr. Borie, telling him he was a brave 
man to venture around the world with the burden of so 
many years upon him. 

The King of Siani issued the following order for the 
reception and entertainment of General Grant, which was 
faithfully carried out: 

" Programme for the reception and entertainment of General U. S. 

Grant, ex-President of the United States of America, subject to 

such modifications as he may deem expedient: 

"First Day. — On the arrival of the mail steamer Kong 
See, conveynig General Grant and party, at Paknam, a 
deputation, consisting of Phra Bairaybakya Bhakdi, Phra 
Sri Sombat and Luang Salayut Witikan, Captain of the 
Royal Body Guard, will proceed on board the steam yacht 
icising Sun to the steamer Kong See. On gomg on board, 
they will welcome General Grant in the name of His 
Majesty, and, on presenting His Majesty's best wishes to 
General Grant and party, will invite them on board the 
Rising Sun and convey them up to Bangkok. On their 
arrival at Bangkok the steam yacht will anchor off the In- 
ternational Court House. Officers of the Foi^eign Depart- 
ment will then proceed to the steam yacht in house boats, 
with paddles, one of eight and one of seven fathoms in 
length, to invite and convey General Grant, Mrs. Grant 
and party to the landing at the International Court House. 
There will be a company, consisting of one hundred sol- 
diers, with a militarj' band, at the landing, as a guard of 
honor. Phya Pihasbarawongree, Private Secretary to His 
Majesty, Phra Bpaksa Nanaprates Kich, Judge of the In- 
ternational Court, with officers of the Royal Horse Guard 
and officers of the Foreign Department, will be in waiting 



il5 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

at the landing to invite General Grant, Mrs. Grant and 
party to take carnages and proceed to the Grand Saronrom 
Palace. A guard of honor will be drawn up in front of 
the palace, consisting of twenty soldiers and a military band 
for the occasion. Phra Sudham Maitre and Phra Sri 
Dl-uamasan will be in waiting at the door of the palace to 
receive General Grant and party. His Royal Highness 
Somdech Chowfa Bhanurangse Sawangwongo, and His 
Excellency Chow Phya Bhann Wongse Maha Cosa Dhi- 
poti, Minister for Foreign Affairs, will be in waiting in the 
upper porch to welcome them to the palace. General 
Grant and party having gone into the palace, a salute of 
twenty-one guns will be fired. In case the arrival occurs 
ih the night, the salute will be deferred until the morning. 
"Second Day. — At ten o'clock A. m. the officers will 
invite General Grant to visit His Highness Somdech Chow 
Phya Boom Maha Suramngse, the ex-Regent, and mem- 
bers of the Senabodi, and will be conveyed in carriages to 
the landing of the International Court, then in boats. They 
will return by the same route. At four o'clock p. M. the 
officers will invite General Grant, ]Mrs. Grant and party 
to an audience with His Majesty the King of Siam, in the 
royal palace. The aud-ence will be held in the grand 
audience hall, Boromraj Satet Maholan. After the royal 
audience they will be conveyed in carriages to an audience 
with His Majesty Krow Phrarajawany Pawara Sthar 
Mongal, second Kmg. At nine o'clock p. M. His Royal 
Highness Somdech Chowf^x Bhanurangse Sawangwongo 
will hold a reception in honor of General Grant at the Pal- 
ace Saronrom. 

" Third Day. — On the morning of this day His Maj- 
estv the King of Siam will return the visit of General 
Grant at the Palace Saronrom. At four p. m. the officers 
will invite General Grant and party to pay a visit to His 
Royal Highness Somdech Phra Chow Boronwongee Ter 



TOUR AROUXP THE WORLD. 



417 



Chov/fa Maha Mala Krom Phra Bamrap Parapax, and 
will be conveyed in carriages. At eleven o'clock f. m. 
General Grant, INIrs. Grant and party will be entertained 
at a roval banquet in the royal palace, Boromraj Satet 
Maholan, and will be conveyed in carriages. 

"Fourth Day. — At four o'clock p. m, the officers 
will invite General Grant and party to pay a visit to His 
Royal Highness Somdcch Chowfa Chaturomasami Krom- 
duang Chakrapatdipong. After which they will take a 
look at the Monastery Arunrayweram-Wat-Chung. At 
seven o'clock General Grant and part}^ will be entertained 
at dinner at the official residence of His Excellencv the 
Minister for Foreign Affairs, and will be conveyed in car- 
riages and in boats. 

"Fifth Day. — At three o'clock p. m. the officers will 
invite General Grant and party to the ISIonastery Phra 
Budhoatnesatan and the ISIonastery Phrasee Ratnesasa- 
dahram, also the museum at the roj^al palace. They will 
then be invited to a private audience with His Majestv the 
King, in the royal palace. At seven o'clock p. m. Gen- 
eral Grant and party will be entertained at a dinner party 
at the official residence of His Highness Somdech Chow 
Phya Borom Maha Sri Suramngse, the ex-Regent. 

" Sixth Day. — At three o'clock p. m. officers will in- 
vite General Grant and party to visit the temple Satatteph 
Taram and the temple Phra Chattupun Vevnon Niank- 
ahram, and from thence will go into the Royal Palace to 
see the royal white elephants. After that he will proceed 
to the palace of His Royal Highness Somdech Chowfa 
Maha Mala Krom Phra Bamap Parapax to see the state 
elephants and the elephants of war. At eight o'clock p. m. 
His Royal Highness Somdech Chowfa Chaturong Rasami 
Krom Luang Chakrapatdipon will entertain General Grant 
and party with a ball at the old royal palace, 

"Seventh Day. — At nine o'clock a. m. the officers 



4.S 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



will invite General Grant and party to embark on board 
the royal yacht Vcsatri, to take an excursion, to view the 
scenery on the River Chovy Phya. General Grant and 
party will be conveyed in carriages to the landing, and 
thence embark on board the Vesatri, and will return in the 
same manner. At four oVlock in the afternoon the officers 
will invite General Grant, Mrs. Grant and party to a royal 
audience with His Majesty at the royal palace." 

In vSiam there is a second King, or as occupying a posi- 
tion similar to that of the Vice-President of the United 
States. 

In Siani the second King is a person and an authority, 
entitled to royal honoi's, living in a palace, with troops, a 
court, a harem and a Foreign Minister. He has an income 
from the State of $300,000 a year. Of authority he has 
none beyond ihe management of his household and the 
command of troops in certain of the provinces. 

The second King, therefore, is a political influence w 
Siam — great, because behind him is the supposed power 
of England. Take that power away, and His Majesty 
would be ranked among the nobles, allowed the position 
of a duke, given his place after the royal family, and the 
present office would be eliminated altogether from the 
government of Siam. It certainly seems to be an expen- 
sive and an almost useless function, one that might readily 
be absorbed into the royal office with a gain to the treasury 
and no loss to the State. The prince who holds the posi- 
tion is in his fortieth 3'ear and is a gentleman of intelligence. 

His Majesty the first King of Siam, and absolute sover- 
eign, is named Chulahlongkorn. This, at least, is the name 
which he attaches to the royal signet. His name as given 
in the books is Phrabat Somdetch Phra Paramendo Mahah 
Chulah-long-korn Klow. 

On the afternoon of April 14, at three o'clock. General 
Grant and party had their audience with the King of Siam. 



TOUR AROUND THK WORLD. 



419 



Our Palace of Saronrom, in which we arc Hving, is next 
to the Grand Pahice; but so vast are these royal homes 
that it was quite a drive to the house of our next-door 
neighbor. The General and party went in state carriages, 
and at the door of the palace were met by an officer. Troops 
were drawn up all the way from the gate to the door of 
the audience hall, and it was quite a walk before, having 
passed temples, shrines, outhouses, pavilions and statelier 
mansions, we came to the door of a modest building and 
were met by qids of the King. A wide pair of marble 
steps led to the audience room, and on each side of the steps 
were pots with blooming flowers and rare shrubs. The 
band in the courtyard played the national air, and as the 
General came to the head of the stairs the King, who was 
waiting, and wore a magnificent jeweled decoration, ?/i 
vanced and shook the hands of the General in the warmest 
manner. Then, shaking hands with Mrs. Grant, he offered 
her his arm, and walked into the audience hall. The au- 
dience hall is composed of rwo large, gorgeously decorated 
saloons, that would not be out of place hi any palace. The 
decorations were French, and reminded you of the Louvre. 
In the first hall were a series of busts of contemporary sov- 
ereigns and rulers of states. The place of honor was 
given to the bust of General Grant, a work of art in dark 
bronze which did not look much like the General, and 
seems to have been made by a French or English artist 
from photographs. From here the King passed on to a 
smaller room, beautifully furnished in yellow satin. Here 
the King took a seat on a sofa, with Mrs. Grant and the 
General on either side, the members of the party on chairs 
near him, officers of the court in the background standing, 
and servants at the doors, kneeling in attitudes of sub- 
mission. The King is a spare young man, active and 
nervous in his movements, with a full, clear, almost glitter- 
ing black eye, which moved about restlessly from one to 



420 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 



the other, and while he talked his lingers seemed to be 
keeping unconscious time to the musical measures. When 
any of his court approached him, or were addressed by 
him, they responded by a gesture or salute of adoration. 
Everything about the King betokened a high and quick intel- 
ligence, and, although the audience was a formal one, and the 
conversation did not go beyond words of courtesy and wel- 
come from the King to the General and his party, he gave 
you the iijipression of a resolute and able man, full of re- 
sources and quite equal to the cares of his station. This 
impression was confirmed by all that we heard or saw in 
Siam. The audience at an end, the King led Mrs. Grant 
and the General to the head of the stairs, and we took our 
leave. 

At three o'clock, on the 15th of April, the King 
returned the General's visit, by coming in state to see him 
at our palace of Saronrom. This, we were told, was a 
most unusual honor, and was intended as the highest com- 
pliment it was in His Majesty's power to betow. A state 
call from a King is an event in Bangkok, and long before 
the hour the space in front of the palace was filled with 
curious Siamese and Chinese, heedless of the rain, waiting 
to gaze upon the celestial countenance. As the hour came, 
there was the bustle of preparation. First came a guard, 
which formed in front of the palace; then a smaller guard, 
which formed in the palace yard, from the gate to the 
porch ; then a band of music, which stood at the rear of 
the inner guard; then came attendants, carrying staves in 
their hands to clear the streets, and give warning that the 
King was coming, that the streets should be abandoned by 
all, so that His Majesty should have unquestioned way. j 
Then came a squadron of the royal body guard in scarlet \ 
uniform, under the command of a royal Prince. The King 
sat in a carriage alone on the back seat, with two princes 
with him, who sat on tlic front seats. His Royal High- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



42 



ness and the mcmheis of the household arrayed themselves 
in state garments, the Prince wearing a coat of purple 
silk. The General and his party wore evening dress, as 
worn at home on occasions of ceremony. When the trum- 
pets announced the coming of the King, the General, 
accompanied by the Prince, the members of his household 
and party, came to the foot of the stairs. Colonel Grant, 
wearing the uniform of a lieutenant-colonel, waited at the 
gate to receive the King in his father's name. 

The General waited at the foot of the marble steps, 
and, as the King advanced, shook hands with him cordially 
and led him to the reception room. The King was dressed 
in simple Siamese costume, wearing the decoration of Siam, 
but not in uniform. Mr. Alabaster, the interpreter, stood 
behind the King and the General. The King, who spoke 
Siamese, said he hoped that the General had found every- 
thing comfortable for himself and party at the Saranrom 
Palace. 

The General said that nothing could be more agreeable 
than the hospitality of the Prince. 

The King said he hoped that the General, if he wanted 
anything, to see any part of vSiam, go anywhere or do any- 
thing, would express the wish, as he would feel it a great 
privilege to give him anything in this kingdom. 

General Grant said he appreciated the King's kind- 
ness, and thanked him. 

The King, after a pause, said that General Grant's visit 
was especially agreeable to him, because, not only in his 
own reign, but before, Siam had been under obligations to 
the United States. Siam saw in the United States not only 
a great but a friendly power, which did not look upon the 
East with any idea of aggrandizement, and to whom it was 
always pleasant to turn for counsel and advice. More than 
that, the influence of most of the Americans who had come 



422 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

to Siam had been good, and those who had been in the 
govenimcnt''s service had been of value to the State. The 
efforts of the missionaries to spread a knowledge of the 
arts and sciences, of machinery and of medicine, among the 
Siamese, had been commendable. The King was glad to 
have the opportunity of saying this to one who had been 
the chief magistrate of the American people. 

General Grant responded that the policy of the United 
States was a jDolicy of non-intervention in everything that 
concerned the internal affairs of other nations. It had 
become alinost a traditional policy, and experience con- 
firmed its wisdom. The country needed all the energies of 
its own people for its development, and its only interest in 
the East was to do what it could to benefit the people, 
especially in opening markets for American manufactures. 
The General, in his travels through India and Bui'mah, had 
been much gratified with the commendations bestowed 
upon American products; and although the market was as 
yet a small one, he felt cei^tain that our trade with the East 
would become a great one. There was the field at least, 
and our people had the opportunity. Nothing vi^ould please 
him more than to see vSiam sharing in this trade. Beyond 
this there was no desire on the part of the American gov- 
ernment to seek an influence in the East. 

The King said nothing would please him more than the 
widest possible development of the commerce between 
Siam and America. The resources of Siam were great, 
but their development limited. Siam was like the United 
States in one respect, tliat it had a large territory and a 
small population, and the developinent of many sources of 
wealth that were known to exist had been retarded from 
this cause. 

General Grant thouglil this difliculty might be met by 
the introduction of skilled lal)or, such, for instance, as 



TOlfK AltorXl) "I-IIK WOKT.n. 



4^3 



mining experts from Nevada and California, wlio conld 
prospect and locate mines, and labor-saving machiner)', in 
which the Americans especially excelled. 

The King assented to this, with the remark that the 
Siamese were a conservative j^eople and studied an}- 
thing new very carefully before adopting it. Their policy 
in foreign relations had been a simple one — peace with 
foreign powers and steady development of the country. 
Siam was a small country with limited resources, and she 
knew that she could not contend with the jrreat foreio-n 
powers. Consequently she always depended upon the jus- 
tice and good will of foreign powers. This sometimes led 
to their appearing to consent or to submit to some things 
which under other circumstances and by other and greater 
nations would not be endurrd. In the end, however, it 
worked right, and Siam, looking back over her relations 
with the great powers, found, on the whole, no reason for 
regret. In the main these relations had been for the good 
of the Siamese people. From the foreign powers Siam 
had always received encouragement. 

The King led the w-ay to the upper audience chamber, 
the saloon of the statues. Here ensued a long conversa- 
tion between the King and the General and the various 
members of the party. Mrs. Grant, in the inner room, 
had a conversation wdth the Queen, who had not been at the 
table. In conversing with the General, the King became 
warm and almost affectionate. He was proud of having 
made the acquaintance of the General, and he wanted to 
know more of the American people. He wished Ameri- 
cans to know that he was a friend of the countrv. As to 
the General himself, the King hoped wdien the General 
returned to the United States that he would write the 
King and allow the King to write to him, and alwavs be 
fchis friend and correspondent. The General said he would 
always remember his visit to Siam ; that it would afford 



434 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



him pleasure to know that he was the friend of the King; 
that he would write to the King and always be glad to 
hear from him; and if he could ever be of service to the 
King it would be a pleasure. With Mr. Borie the King 
also had a long conversation, and his manner toward the 
venerable ex-Secretary was especially kind and genial. It 
was midnight before the party came to an end. 

On the next morning there was a state dinner at the 
royal palace. The party consisted of the King, His Royal 
Highness the Celestial Prince, several princes, meinbers of 
the royal family of lower rank. General Grant and party, 
the American Consul, Mr. Sickles, and Miss Struder, 
daughter of the Consul at Singapore; Mr. Torrey, the 
American Vice-Consul, and Mrs. Torrey; the Foreign 
Minister, his son, the King's private secretary, Mr. Ala- 
baster, the members of the Foreign Ofhce, and the aids of 
the King who had been attending the General. The 
Siamese all wore state dresses — coats of gold cloth, richlv 
embroidered — and the King \vore the family decoration, a 
star of nine points, the centre a diamond, and the other 
points with a rich jewel of different character, embracing 
the precious stones found in .Siam. The General was re- 
ceived in the audience hall, and the dinner was served in 
the lower hall or dining-room. There were forty guests 
present, and the service of the table was silver, the prevail- 
ing design being the three-headed elephant, which belongs 
to the arms of Siam. This service alone cost ten thousand 
pounds in England. There were two bands in attendance, 
one playing Siamese, and the other European music, alter- 
natelv. The Celestial Prince escorted Mrs. Grant to dinner, 
and sat ojDposite the King at the centre of the table. General 
Grant sat next the King. The dinner was long, chiborate, 
and in the European style, with the exception of some 
dishes of currv dressed in Siamese fashion, which we were* 
not brave enousih to do more than taste. The nitrht was 



'1^ 



TOUR AUOUND THE WORLD. 



4^5 



warm, but the room was kept moderately cool by a system 
of penckahs or large fans swinging from the ceiling, which 
kept the air in circulation. 

After they had been at the table about three hours there 
was a pause and a signal. The fans stopped, the music 
paused, and Mr. Alabaster, as interpreter, took his place 
behind the King. His Majesty then arose, and the com- 
pany with him, and, in a clear accent heard all over the 
saloon, made the following speech in Siamese: 

"Your Royal Highness, Ladies and Gentle- 
men, Now Assembled: I beg you to hear the expres- 
sion of the pleasure which I have felt in receiving as my 
guest a President of the United States of America. Siam 
has for many years^ past derived great advantages from 
America, whose citizens have introduced into my kingdom 
many arts and sciences, much medical knowledge and manv 
valuable books, to the great advantage of the country. 
Even before our countries were joined in treaty alliance, 
citizens of America came here and benefited us. Since 
then our relations have greatly improved, and to the great 
advantage of Siam, and recently the improvement has been 
still more marked. Therefore it is natural that we should 
be exceedingly gratified by the visit paid to us by a President 
of the United States. General Grant has a grand fame, 
that has reached even to Siam, that has been known here 
for several years. We are well aware that as a true soldier 
he first saw glory as a leader in war, and, thereafter accept- 
ing the office of President, earned the admiration of all 
men as benig a statesman of the highest rank. It is a great 
gratification to all of us to meet one thus eminent both in 
the government of war and of peace. We see him and 
are charmed by his gracious manner, and feel sure that his 
visit will inaugurate friendly relations with the United 
States of a still closer nature than before, and of the most 
enduring character. 1 herefore I ask you all to join with 



426 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

me in drinking the health of General Grant and wishing 

him every blessing." 

When the King finished, Mr. Alabaster translated the 

speech into English, the company all the time remaining 

on their feet. Then the toast was drank with cheers, the 

band playing the American national air. 

General Grant then arose, and, in a low but clear and 

perfectly distinct voice, said : 

"Your Majesty, Ladies and Gentlemen: I 

am very much obliged to Your Majesty for the kind and 

complimentary manner in which you have welcomed me 

to Siam. I am glad that it has been my good fortune to 
visit this country and to thank Your Majesty in person for 
your letters inviting me to Siam, and to sec with my own 
eyes your country and your people. I feel that it would 
have been a misfortune if the programme of my journey 
had not included Siam. I have now been absent from 
home nearly two years, and during that time I have seen 
every capital and nearly every large city in Europe, as 
well as the principal cities in India, Burmah and the Malay 
Peninsula. I have seen nothmg that has interested me 
more than Siam, and every hour of my visit here has been 
agreeable and instructive. For the welcome I have re- 
ceived from Your Majesty, the princes and members of the 
Siamese government, and the people generally, I am very 
grateful. I accept it, not as personal to myself alone, but 

■ as a mark of the friendship felt for my country by Your 
Majesty and tlie people of Siam. I am glad to see that 
feeling, because I believe that the best interests of the two 
countries can be benefited In' nothing so much as the estab- 
lishment of the most cordial relations between them. On 
mv return to America I shall do what I can to cement those 
relations. I hope that in America we shall see more of the 
Siamese, that we shall have embassies and diplomatic rela- 
tions, that our commerce and manufactures will increase 



TOUK AROUND THE WORLD. 



427 



with Siam, and that your young men will visit our country 
and attend our colleges as they now go to colleges in Ger- 
many and England. I can assure them all a kind reception, 
and I feel that the visits would be interesting and advan- 
tageous. I again thank Your Majesty for the splendid 
hospitality which has been shown to myself and my'partv, 
and I trust that your reign will be happy and prospeious, 
and that Siam will continue to advance in the arts of civili- 
zation." 

General Grant, after a pause, then said : 

" I hope you will allow me to ask you to drink the 
health of His Majesty the King of Siam. I am honored 
by the opportunity of proposing that toast in his own capi- 
tal and his own palace, and of saying how much I have 
been impressed with his enlightened rule. I now ask you 
to drink the health of His Majesty the King, and prospL-rity 
and peace to the people of Siam." 

After a round of receptions, entertainments and excur- 
sions, the General bade adieu to Siam, having passed ' 
delightful week. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



GENERAL GRANT IN CHINA. 

On April 35, General Grant arrived at Saigon in the 
French mail steamship Iravvaddy. He and his party 
were invited by Rear-Admiral La Fond, Governor of 
French Cochin China, to sojourn at the Government House. 
They passed the night there, and next day visited public 
buildings and places of interest. A public levee was given 
on the evening of the 26th. The guests returned to the 
ship about midnight, and the voyage was resumed on the 
27th. Thev reached Hong Kong on the evening of April 
30. The ship was immediately boarded by United States 
Consuls Mosby, of Hong Kong; Lincoln, of Canton; 
Charge d'Affaires Holcombe, and deputations of citizens 
of various countries, including Japan. The same evening 
the visitors proceeded to the United States ship Ashuelot, 
where they were received with a salute of twenty-one 
guns. 

After partaking of refresliments, they went ashore in 
the Colonial government launch. Salutes were fired by 
l)atteries all along the river. 

General Grant arrived at Canton on the evening of 
May 6, and was received by the Consular officials, and con- 
ducted to the Viceroy's yaman, three miles from the point 
of debarkation. Canton is situated on the Pearl River, 
thirty miles from the coast. The Viceroy sent a gunboat 
out as escort up the river. This vessel, bearing the Ameri- 

428 



tOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 429 

Can Hag at the tore out of compliment to the General, fol- 
lowed all the way. 

At various points in the river — wherever, indeed, there 
were forts — salutes were fired and troops paraded. These 
lines of troops, with their flags — and nearly every other 
man in a Chinese army carries a flag — looked picturesque 
and theatrical as seen from our deck. 

It was nine o'clock in the evening before the lights of 
Canton were seen. The Chinese gunboats, as the General 
and party came to anchorage, burned blue lights and fired 
rockets. The landing was decorated with Chinese lanterns, 
and many of the junks in the rivei burned lights and dis- 
played the American flag. The whole city had been wait- 
ing all the afternoon, and had now gone home to dinner. 
Next morning salutes were exchanged between the Ash- 
uelot and the Chinese gunboats. The General remained 
at home during the morning to receive calls. The coming 
of General Grant had created a flutter in the Chinese mind. 
No foreign barbarian of so high a rank had ever visited the 
Celestial Kingdom. As soon as the Viceroy learned of 
the visit, he sent word to the American Consul that he 
would receive General Grant with special honors. The 
Viceroy ordered all the houses closed, streets cleared and 
the troops paraded. A placard issued, that a foreigner was 
coming to do the Viceroy honor, and that the people must 
do him honor. We give a translation of one of these extra 
bulletins: 

" We have just heard that the King of America, being 
on friendly terms with China, will leave America early in 
the third month, bringing with him a suite of offlcers, etc., 
all complete on board the ship. It is said that he is bring- 
ing a large number of rare presents with him, and that he ' 
will be here in Canton about the 6th or 9th of May. lie 
will land at the Tintsy ferry, and will proceed to the Vice- 
roy's palace by way of the South gate, the Fantai's Nga- 



43° GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

mun and the Waning Street. Viceroy Lan has arranged 
that all the mandarins shall be there to meet him, and a 
full Court will be held After a little friendly conversa- 
tion he will leave the Viceroy's palace, and visit the vari- 
ous objects of interest within and without the walls. He 
will then proceed to the Roman Catholic Cathedral, to con- 
verse and pass the night. It is not stated what will then 
take place, but notice will be given." 

As the hour approached for the General to enter Can- 
ton, the crowd on the street grew larger and larger. A 
Tartar officer arrived with a detachment of soldiers, who 
formed, and kept the crowd back. Then came the chairs 
and the chair bearers, for in Canton you must ride in chairs 
and be borne on the shoulders of men. Rank is shown by 
the color of the chair and the number of attendants. Tb*' 
General's chair was a stately affiiir. On the top was a sil- 
ver globe. The color was green, a color highly esteemed 
in China, and next in rank to yellow, which is sacred and 
consecrated to the Emperor, wno aione can ride in a yeiiow 
chair. Tlie chair is borne oy eignt men, and swings ou 
long bamboo poles. In addition to the chair bearers, there 
was a small guard of unarmed soldiers, some ahead and 
others behind the chair, whose presence gave dignity to 
the chair and its occupant. The principal business of this 
guard seemed to be to shout and to make all the noise 
possible. 

At last they were under way for their visit to the Vice- 
roy. First rode the single Tartar officer, then came the 
shouting guard, then General Grant in his chair of state. 
The General wore evening dress. The crowd and enthu- 
siasm manifested all along the route was an extraordinary 
sight wherever the street was intersected with other streets. 
The crowd became so dense that additional tioops were 
required to hold them in place, and at various points the 
Chinese salute of three <runs was fired. 



TOUK AROUND THE WOULD. 43 I 

The road to the viceregal palace was three miles, and 
as the pace of the coolie who carries the chair is a slow 
one, and especially on days of multitudes and pageantry, 
they were over an hour on their journey, and for this hour 
they journeyed through a sea of faces, a hushed and silent 
sea, that swept around them, covering windows, doors, 
streets, roof tops, wherever there was room for a pair of 
feet or hands. 

Some of the party estimated that there were two hun- 
dred thousand people to witness General Grant's progress 
through Canton. Two hundred thousand men, women 
and children may be taken, therefore, as an estimate by 
one who saw and took part in the ceremony. But no 
massing together of figures, although you ascend into the 
hundreds of thousands, will give an idea of the nivJ.t'.tude. 
The march was a slow one. There were frequent pauses. 
Arrived at the palace of the Viceroy, the visitors descend 
from their chairs, and enter the open reception room or 
audience chamber. But the booming guns, which boom in 
a quick, angry fashion; the increasing crowds, the renewed 
lines of soldiery, now standing in double line, their guns at 
a present; the sons of mandarins, the Viceroy's guard, un- 
der trees, and the open, shaded enclosure into which we 
are borne by our staggering, panting chair-bearers, tell us 
Ihat we are at our journey's end, and at the palace of the 
Viceroy, We descend from our chairs, and enter the opea 
reception room or audience chamber. The Viceroy nnn- 
self, surrounded by all the great officers of his court, is wait- 
ing at the door. As General Grant advances, accompanied 
by the Consul, the Viceroy steps forward and meets him 
with a gesture of welcome, which to our barbarian eyes 
looks like a gesture of adoration. He wears the man- 
darin's hat, and the pink button and flowing robes of silk, 
the breast and back embroidered a good deal like the sac- 
rific^l robes of an archbishop at high mass. The Viceroy 



43^ 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



is a Chinaman, and not of the governing Tartar race. He 
has a thin, somewhat worn face, and is over fifty years of 
age. His manner was the perfection of courtesy and cor- 
diaHty. He said he knew how unworthy he was of a visit 
from one so great as General Grant, but that this unwor- 
thiness only increased the honor. Then he presented the 
General to the members of his Court — Chang Tsein, the 
Tartar General; Jen Chi, the Imperial Commissioner of 
Customs; San Chang Mow, the Deputy Tartar General, 
and Chi Hwo, the Assistant Tartar General. After Gen- 
eral Grant had been presented, each of his party in turn 
were welcomed by the Viceroy, and presented to his 
suite. 

During this interchange of compliments the reception 
room was filled with members and retainers of the Court. 
Mandarins, aids, soldiers — all ranks were present. The 
whole scene was one of curiosity and excitement. The 
Chinamen seemed anxious to do all they could to show 
General Grant how welcome was his coming, but such a 
visit was a new thing, and they had no precedent for the 
reception of strangers who held so high a position as Gen- 
eral Grant. 

After the civilities were exchanged, the Viceroy led the 
General and party into another room, where there were 
chairs and tables around the room in a semi-circle. Between 
each couple of chairs w-as a small table, on which were 
cups of tea. The General was led to the place of honor 
in the centre, and the Chinese clustered together in one 
corner. After some persuasion the Viceroy was induced 
to sit beside the General, and the conversation proceeded. 
Nothing was said beyond the usual compliments, which 
were only repeated in various forms. 

After sitting fifteen minutes they drank tea in Chinese 
fashion. The tea is served in two cups, one of which is 
placed over the other in such a manner that when you take 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 433 

up the cups you have a globe in your hands. The tea is 
plain, and as each particular cup has been brewed by itself — 
is, in fact, brewing while you are waiting — you have the 
leaves of the tea, avoiding the leaves by pushing the upper 
bowl down into the lower one so as to leave a minute open- 
ing and draw out the tea. Some drank the tea in orthodox 
home fashion, but others, being sensitive to the reputation 
of barbarism, perhaps, managed the two bowls very much 
as though it were an experiment in jugglery, and drank the 
tea like a mandarin. This ceremony over, they were led 
into another room that opened on a garden. Here were 
guards, aids and mandarins and lines of soldiers. They 
found a large table spread covered with dishes — eighty 
dishes in all. A part of a Chinese reception is entertain- 
ment, and the General's was to be regal. They sat around 
the table and a cloud of attendants appeared, who with 
silver and ivory chopsticks heaped their plates. Beside 
each plate were two chopsticks and a knife and fork, so that 
they might eat their food as they pleased, in Chinese or 
European fashion. 

The food was all sweetmeats, candied fruits, walnuts, al- 
monds, ginger, cocoanuts, with cups of tea and wine. The 
Viceroy with his chopsticks helped the General. This is 
true Chinese courtesy, for the host to make himself the serv- 
ant of his guest. Then came a service of wine — sweet 
champagne and sauterne — in which the Viceroy pledged 
us all, bowing to each guest as he drank. Then, again, 
came tea, which in China is the signal for departure, an in- 
timation that your visit is over. The Viceroy and party 
arose and led them to their chairs. Each one was severally 
and especially saluted as they entered their chairs; and as 
they filed off under the trees, their coolies dangling them on 
their shoulders, they left the Viceroy and his whole court, 
with rows of mandarins and far-extending lines of soldiers 
in an attitude of devotion, hands held together toward the 



434 GENERAL U. S. GRANt'S 

forehead and heads i ent, the soldiers with arms presented. 
The music, real, banging, gong-thumping Chinese music. 
broke out, twenty-one guns were fired, so close that the 
smoke obscured the view, and they plunged into the sea of 
life through which they had floated, and back again, through 
one of the most wonderful sights ever seen, back to their 
shady home in the American Consulate. 

Consul-General Lincoln gave a grand State dinner on 
the nth. In addition to the members of the General's 
party there were Captain Perkins, Mr. McEwen, Mr. 
Deering, Mr. Case and Mr. Strickland, of the Ashuelot, 
and the leading members of the foreign settlement to the 
number of forty. The whole house was dressed with 
wreaths and evergreens and American flags, and in front 
of the house was a platform for fireworks. The day had 
been fitful as far as ram was concerned, and heavy black 
clouds banked themselves in the skies. But the fire- 
works were fairly successful, and the dinner was good, and 
Mr. Lincoln made an excellent speech, to which the Gen 
eral replied by thanking the Consul for his courtesy. Hf 
had, he said, visited every capital and nearly every large 
city in Europe, and looked forward with interest to his con- 
tinued progress through Asia. The honors he received 
were paid, not to him, but to his country, and in that spirit 
he accepted them. He believed that peace could have no 
better assurance than in the harmony and cordial good 
feeling of the civilized nations of the world, and in presence 
of so many representatives of these nations he felt he 
could propose no better sentiment than the health of the 
rulers and governments they represented. Mr, Rowe then 
proposed the health in flattering terms of Mr. and Mrs. 
Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln thanked Mr. Rowe in a few well 
turned remarks, and the party left the dining-room to wit- 
ness a grand display of fireworks. A bamboo erection, 
sixty feet high, had been placed in front of the Consulate, 



TOUK AROUND TlIK WOULD, 1 35 

and after a number of rockets, Catherine wheels and color- 
ed lights of all kinds had been let ofl', a set j^icce displaying 
a pagoda was fired and a magnificent spectacle was pro- 
duced, winding up with a volley of rockets of, all colors. 
At ten o'clock a reception was held at the Consulate, when 
the whole of the American and European community were 
presented to General Grant by Mr. Lincoln. 

The welcome given General Grant at Canton was 
even more enthusiastic, and, in point of numbers participat- 
ing, the most demonstrative, of any that had preceded it. 
There was so much ceremony during the General's visit 
that he had scarcely any opportunity to see the city, he 
having given himself but four days to see Canton, and had 
promised to return to Hong Kong to be present at a garden 
party to be given on Monday. 

General Grant and party sailed down the river from 
Canton over to Macao, within five hours' sail of Hong 
Kong. Macao is a colony of Portugal, and has been for 
more than three centuries- Owing to the serious illness of 
the Governor, there was no public reception. The Gov- 
ernor sent the most cordial greeting and welcome to 
Macao. The General landed and drove to a hotel. In the 
evening he strolled about, and in the morning visited the 
one site that gives Macao world-wide fame — the home 
and grotto of Camoens. Camoens was a soldier-poet, lost 
his sight in a conflict with the Moors, and, dissatisfied with 
the condition of affairs in Portugal, sailed for the East, and 
came in banishment to Macao. Here he wrote the 
" Lusiad." Senor Marques, a Portuguese I'esident, is now 
the owner of the Grotto. The General was shown over 
the grounds by the Senor, who, in honor of his coming, 
had built an arch over the entrance with the inscription, 
"Welcome to General Grant." The grounds surrounding 
the Grotto are beautiful and extensive, and for some time 
the party walked past the bamboo, the pimento, the coffee. 



436 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

and other tropical trees and plants. Then they ascended 
to a bluff overlooking the town and sea, and from that 
point they had a commanding view of the town, the ocean, 
and the rocky coasts of China. The Grotto of Camoens is 
enclosed with an iron railing, and a bust of the poet sur- 
mounts the spot where, according to tradition, he was wont 
to sit and muse and compose his immortal poems. General 
Grant inscribed his name in the visitors' book, and, accom- 
panied by Senor Marques, returned to the Ashuelot, which 
at once steamed for Hong Kong. Salutes were fired from 
the Portuguese battery as they left, and at two o'clock they 
landed in Hong Kong harbor, where Governor Hennessy 
met the General and took him to the Government House. 

General Grant's reception at Hong Kong was as brill- 
iant and enthusiastic as that at Canton. Disembarking 
amid salutes from the Ashuelot and the Japanese corvette 
Nishin, they were received at a decorated landing-pier by 
Governor Hennessy and staff, members of the Legislative 
Council, heads of the military and naval services, a guard 
of honor, and a multitude of American, European and 
Chinese spectators. After introductions, they were escorted 
to the Government House. Many streets were adorned 
with flags, etc., and houses were illuminated. On May i 
General Grant called upon Consul Mosby and informally 
inspected localities of importance. On May 2 he held a 
public reception at the United States Consulate, and dined 
with Chief Justice Sir John Smale. May 3 he attended a 
state dinner at Government House. The felicitous address 
of Governor Hennessy was warmly commended by the 
Americans. General Grant responded briefly and effect- 
ively, giving the sentiment of "Good will and alliance 
between Britons and Americans." 

The citizens of Hong Kong had arranged a garden 
party to be given General Grant on Monday, but the 
weather iiitcrfLTed, and tlie General was compelled to leave 



i 



TOUK AKOUND THE WORLD. ^•jy 

on Monday, to keep engagements made for him in the 
North. He spent Sunday quietly with the Governor, and 
on Monday morning took leave of his brilliant and hospita- 
ble host. Befoi-e leaving, the General, accompanied by the 
Governor and our Consul, Colonel John S. Mosby, received 
a deputation of Chinese, who wished to present him with 
an address. The presentation took place in the parlors of 
the Government House, when the following address was 
read : — 

" To General Ulysses S. Grant, late President of the United States 
of America, and Commander-in-Chief of the United States Army. 

"Sir: On the occasion of your honoring Hong Kong 
with your presence, wc, the undersigned, on behalf of the 
Chinese community, approach you to give you a hearty 
welcome, and beg to present you an address expressive of 
our high esteem and respect for you. During your Presi- 
dency your geat name and noble deeds were known far 
and wide, and by the carrymg out of a just policy you 
commanded admiration and i-espec't from all classes of 
people under your rule. We have been delighted to find 
that in international questions you have shown a spirit of 
impartiality and fairness, treating Americans and foreigners 
alike, and the Chinese who have been trading in the United 
States have sung, and continue to sing, praises of the many 
good actions done by you while in office. 

" We had longed to see you, but, being far away, we 
were hitherto not permitted to realize our wish. Now 
that you have favored us with a visit we avail ourselves of 
the opportunity to present you with a scroll inscribed with 
these four words, "Benefit to Chinese People," which we 
hope may serve as a souvenir of your interview with the 
Chinese community of H(aiig Kong. 

"Signed by Lee Ting, Ho Aniei, Lee Tuck Cheong, 
and ninety others." 

General Grant said: — "Gentlemen, I am very happy to 



43^ GENERAL U. S. GRANT"'S 

meet so many representatives of the Chinese community 
in Hong Kong, and for the kind words of your atkh-css 
accept my thanks. I have looked forward for a long time 
to my visit to China, and am pleased to see, as I have seen 
in Hong Kong, that the Chinese are a thrifty, industrious 
and intelligent people. I have no other wish than that 
between the two peoples there shall be harmony and the 
best relations, and in this spirit I accept your address and 
the beautiful memento which accompanies it, and thank you 
for your good wishes." 

After giving the address the General and party, accom- 
panied by Governor Hennessy and wife and Colonel 
Mosby, took chairs and proceeded to the landing, to embark 
for the north. There was a guard of honor at the wharf, 
and all the foreign residents were present. As the General 
went on board the launch, hearty cheers were given, which 
were again and again repeated as he steamed into the bay. 
The Governor took his leave of General Grant on board 
the Ashuelot, and, as he left, the vessel fired a salute of sev- 
enteen guns in his honor, with the British flag at the fore. 

General Grant's trip along the coast of China was ex- 
ceptionally pleasant, so far as winds and waves were con- 
cerned. There was a monsoon blowing, but it was just 
enough to help along without disturbing the sea. Then 
it was a pleasure to come once more into cooler latitudes. 
Ever since they left Naples they had been under the sun, 
and nearly four months' battle with it had told upon them 
all. It was a luxury to tread the deck, and feel a cool 
breeze blowing from the north; to roll yourself in a blanket 
as you slept on deck; to look out warmer clothing, and 
llel that life was something more than living in a Turkish 
bath. On the morning of thc^i3th they came to Swatow. 

Swatow is one of the treaty ports thrown open to for- 
eigners under the treaty of Lord Elgin. It is at the mouth 
of the river Hau. The entrance to the river is striking in 



TOUR AROUND THE ^TORLD. 



439 



point of scenery, and as they came in siglit of the town all 
the Chinese forts saluted, and the shipping in the harbor 
dressed. C. C. Williams, Consular Agent, came on board 
to welcome the General, and in his company he landed, and 
spent an hour in threading the old Chinese town. The 
streets were narrow. While in Swatow the Chinese Gov- 
ernor called in state, and said that he had orders from the 
government to pay all possible attentions to General Grant. 
It was the custom of the country in making these calls to 
bring an offering, and, as nothing is more useful than food, 
he hatl brought a live sheep, six live chickens, six ducks 
and four hams. While the Governor was in conference 
with the General, the animals were outside. There was 
nothing for the General to do but to accept the homely 
offering, and present it to the servants. 

General Grant visited Amoy, another of the treaty 
ports open to foreign trade. It is on the Island of Hea- 
mun, at the mouth of the Dragon River. The scenery, as 
seen in approaching the island, is picturesque. All the bat- 
teries fired a salute, and there was a welcome from one of 
the United States men-of-war, the Ranger, commanded 
by Commander Boyd. Vice-Consul Stevens came on 
board, and welcomed the General to Amoy. He landed, 
and strolled through the Chinese town, which was very old 
and dirty. At noon there was a large luncheon party, at 
which we met all the Consuls, the leading citizens, and the 
commanders of the Ashuelot and the Ranger. Among 
the guests was Sir Thomas Wade, the British Minister to 
Pekin. Mr. Stevens proposed the health of the Genera) 
in a complimentary speech, and at five they went on board 
the Ranger to attend a reception. The Ranger, under the 
inspiration of the officers, was transformed into a fairy 
scene, and nothing could have been more kind and hospita- 
ble than the captain and officers. Mrs. Boyd assisted her 
husband in entertaining his guests. At seven o'clock, as 



440 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

the sun was going down, they took their leave of the brill- 
iant gathering in tlie Ranger, and steamed to Shanghai. 
The following letters were exchanged between Gen- 
eral Grant and the King of Siam, the King of Hawaii and 
the Viceroy of Canton: 

Grand Palace, Bangkok, April 20, 1S79. 
My Dear General Grant: 

I received your kind telegram on leaving Siam, and 
was very much pleased to hear that you were satisfied 
with your reception. 

Your reception was not all I could have wished, for I 
had not sufficient notice to enable me to prepare much that 
I desired to prepare, but the good nature of Your Excel- 
lency and Mrs. Grant has made you excuse the deficiencies. 

You will now pass on to wealthier cities and more 
powerful nations, but I depend on your not forgetting Siam, 
and from time to time I shall write to you, and hope to 
receive a few words in reply. 

I shall certainly never forget the pleasure your visit 
has given me, and shall highly prize the friendships thus 
inaugurated with Your Excellency and Mrs. Grant. 

I send my kind regards to Mr, Borie, wishing him long 
life, health and happiness, and with the same wish to your- 
self and Mrs. Grant and your family, 
I am your faithful friend, 

Chulalonkorn, King of Siam. 

To General Grant. 

United States Steamer Ashuelot, ) 
Near Shanghai, May 16, 1879. ) 
To His Majesty The King of Siam. 

Dear Sir: Just before leaving Hong Kong for 
Shanghai, 1 received your very welcome letter of the 30th 
of April, and avail myself of the first opportunity of reply- 
ing. I can assure you that nothing more could have been 
done by Your Majesty and all those about you, to make the 
visit of myself and party pleasant and agreeable. Every 
one of us will retain the most pleasant recollections of our 
visit to Siam, and of the cordial reception we received 
from yourself and all with whom we were thrown in con- 
tact. 

I shall always be glad to hear from you, and to hear of 



TOUU AROUND THE WORLD. 443 

the prosperity and progress of the beautiful country over 
wliich you rule witii so much justice and thought for the 
ruled. 

My party are all well, and join me in expression of 
highest regards for yourself and Cabinet, and wishes for 
long life, health and happiness to all of you, and peace and 
prosperity to Siam. Your friend, 

U. S. Grant. 

ToLANi Hall, Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, Feb. iS, 1879 

Dear Sir : The public newspapers give me the infor- 
mation that you are at present on your passage to the East, 
and are intending to return to the Unite! States across the 
Pacific Ocean. When I was in the United States during 
your Presidency, you manifested such interest in the pros- 
perity of my kingdom, that I am proud to think it will not 
be uninteresting to you to observe the progress we have 
made, and the general state of the country. 

I will not remind you that other travelers have found 
the natural features of the islands, and more especially their 
volcanic phenomena, interesting, and 1 entertain a hope 
that if you accept the invitation which I now tender to you 
to visit us, as a guest of myself and this nation, on your 
return to your native country, such a visit will be a pleas- 
ant rememberance to you. 

For myself, it will afford me a great gratification to 
receive and entertain you, and my people will be proud to 
do everything in their power to make your visit agreeable. 
I am your friend, Kalakua. 

To General U. S. Grant. 

United States Steamer Ashuelot, \ 
Near Shanghai, May 16, 1879. \ 
His Majesty, King Kalakaua. 

Dear Sir: On the eve of my departure from Hong 
Kong for Shanghai, China, I was put in possession of 
your very polite invitation of the 18th of February for 
me to visit your kingdom, and to be the guest of ^'our 
Majesty. I can assure you that it would afford me the 
greatest pleasure to accept your invitation if I could do so, 
I have always felt the greatest desire to visit the Hawaiian 
Islands, and cannot say ^:)Ositively yet that I may not be 
able to do so. But it will be impossible for me to give a 



444 GENERAL U. S. GRANX's 

positive answer until I get to Japan and learn of the run- 
ning of the vessels between Yokohama and Honolulu, and 
between the latter place and San Francisco. 

I shall visit Pekin before going to Japan, and remain 
in the latter country a month or six weeks. As soon as it 
is determined whether I am to have the pleasure of visiting 
your most interesting country or not, I will inform you. 
Hoping that I may be able to go, Your friend, 

U. S. Grant. 
To His Excellency, the Late President: 

It has been a high honor and a source of the deepest 
satisfaction to myself, the high provincial authorities and 
the gentry and people of Canton, that Your Excellency, 
whom we have so long desired to see, has been so good as 
to come among us. 

Upon learning from you of your early departure, while 
I dared not interfere to delay you, I had hoped, in company 
with my associates, to present my humble respects at the 
moment of your leaving. I refrained from doing so in 
obedience to your command. 

I have ventured to send a few trifles to your honored 
wife, which I hope she will be so kind as to accept. 

I trust that you both will have a prosperous journey 
throughout all your way, and that you both may be grantetl 
many years and abundant good. Should I ever be honored 
by my sovereign with a mission abroad, it will be my most 
devout prayer and earnest desire that I may meet you 
again. 

I respectfully wish you the fulness of peace. 

Liu Kun. 

United States Steamer Ashuelot, [ 
Near Shanghai, China, May 16, 1879. f 
Ills Excellency, the Viceroy of Kwangtung and Kwanghai. 
Dear Sir: Before leaving Hong Kong for more ex- 
tendetl visits through the Celestial Empire, I was placed in 
possession of your very welcome letter giving expression 
lo the best wishes of Your Excellency and of all the high 
officials in Canton for myself and mine. Since then it has 
been my good fortune to visit Swatow and Amoy, both, I 
understand, under Your Excellency's government, and have 
received at each the same distinguished reception accorded 
at Canton. Myself and \rAX\.v will carry with us from China 



.vl 



TOUIl AUOUNU TIIK WOULD. 445 

the most pleasant recollections of our visit to tlie country 
over which you preside, and of the hospitalities received at 
your hands. 

Mrs. Grant tlesires to thank you especially for the beau- 
tiful specimens of Chinese work which you presented to 
her. With the best wishes of myself and party for your 
health, long life and prosperity, and in hopes that we may 
meet again, I am your friend, 

U. S. Grant. 

General Grant's welcome at Shanghai was a fitting 
climax to the extraordinary reception he had received in 
China. The story of his two-days' residence here is a 
story of festivals and pageantry, culminating in the cele- 
bration and reception by the Governor and Council. As 
the General and party came to the spot selected for land- 
ing, the banks of the river were thronged with Chinamen, 
and at least one hundred thousand lined the bank. 

At three o'clock precisely the barge of the Ashuelot 
was manned, the American flag was hoisted at the bow, 
and General Grant, accompanied by INIrs. Grant, Mr. Borie, 
Colonel Grant, Mr. Holcombe, Acting Minister at Pekin; 
Mrs. Holcombe, Consul-General Bailey, and Dr. Keating, 
embarked. As the boat slowly pulled toward the shore 
the guns of the Ashuelot thundered out a national salute, 
while the other men-of-war manned the yards. In a few 
minutes the boat came to the landing, which was covered 
with scarlet cloth. Mr. Little, Chairman of the Municipal 
Council, and the committee, shook hands with the General, 
and the procession marched into the building. As General 
Grant entered, the audience rose and cheered heartily. On 
reaching the seat prepared for him he was presented to the 
Chinese Governor, who had come to do his part in the re- 
ception. The Governor was accompanied by a delegation 
of mandarins of high rank. The band played " Hail, 
Columbia," and after the music and cheering ceased, Mr, 
Little advanced and read the following address: 



d.J.6 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

Shanghai, May 17, 1879. 
To General U. S. Grant. 

Sir: On behalf of this community I have the honor 
of welcoming you to Shanghai. In this the easternmost 
commercial settlement of the continent the lines that unite 
the old and new worlds meet, and here we on the eastern 
edge of the oldest empire in the world appropriately greet 
an illustrious representative of the great ReiDublic of the 
New World. 

Devoted as wc are to trade, we have little to show that 
is of interest to the ordinary traveler. But as the head for 
two periods of a great cosmopolitan, commercial state, we 
trust that you will find something to interest you in this 
small commercial republic, itself as cosmopolitan as the 
great country from which you come. 

We thank you for coming to visit us. We trust that 
you will find that we have done all in our power to make 
your visit pleasant. We wish for you a future as happy 
and distinguished as your past, and that after you leave us 
you will remember with pleasure this little band of self- 
governed representatives of all States, united in peaceful 
.pursuits, and furthering, we believe, not without success, 
the cause of progress in this country. 

I have the honor to be, sir, on behalf of the foreign 
community of Shanghai, your obedient servant, 

R. W. Little, 
Chaii'man of the Committee. 

After a moment's pause. General Grant, speaking in a 
low, conversational tone of voice, said : 

"Ladies and Gentlemen: — I am ver}' much obliged 
to you for the hearty welcome which you have paid me, 
and I must say that I have been a little surprised, and 
agreeably surprised. I have now been a short time in the 
country of which Shanghai forms so important a part in a 
commercial way, and I have seen much to interest me and 
much to instruct me. I wish I had known ten years ago 
what I have lately learned. I hope to carry back to my 
country a report of all I have seen in this part of the world, 
for it will be of interest and possibly of great use. I thank 
you again for the hearty welcome you have given me." 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



449 



The speech over, there were other presentations, and 
General Grant was escorted to his carriage. There was a 
guard of honor composed of sailors and marines from the 
American and French men-of-war, and the Volunteer 
Rifles of Shanghai. 

On Monday night General Grant went to the house of 
Mr. Cameron to witness a torchlight procession and illumi- 
nation in his honor. The town had been agog all day pre- 
paring for the illumination. 

The two occasions on which Shanghai had exerted herself 
to welcome and honor a guest, were on the visits of the 
Duke of Edinburgh and the Grand Duke Alexis. The 
display in honor of General Grant far surpassed these, and 
what made it so agreeable was the heartmess with which 
English, Americans, French, Germans and Chinese all 
united. The scene as the General drove out into the open 
street was bewildering in its beauty. Wherever you looked 
was a blaze of light and fire, of rockets careering in the 
air, of Roman lights and every variety of fire. The ships 
in the harbor \\»ere a blaze of color, and looked as if they 
were pieces of fireworks. The lines of the masts, the rig- 
ging and the hulls were traced in flames. The Monocacy 
was very beautiful, every line from the bow to the topmast 
and anchor chain hung with Japanese lanterns. This grace- 
ful, blending mass of color thrown upon the black evening 
sky was majestic, and gave an idea of a beauty in fire 
hitherto unknown to the visitors. " Never before," said the 
morning journal — "has there been such a blaze of gas 
and candles seen in Shanghai." 

At ten the General returned to the house of Mr. 
Cameron, and from there reviewed the firemen's procession. 
Each engine was preceded by a band, which played Ameri- 
can airs. After the procession passed and repassed, there 
was a reception in Mr. Cameron's house, and at midnight 
the General drove home lo the Consulate. So came to an 



45^ GENERAL U. S, GRANt's 

tnd a wcjnderful day — one of the most wonderful in the 
history of General Grant's tour around the world. 

As the Ashuelot came into the Peiho River, the forts 
fired twenty-one guns, and all the troops were paraded. A 
Chinese gunboat was awaiting, bearing Judge Denny, our 
Consul, and Mr. Dillon, French Consul and Dean of the 
Consular corps. As General Grant and party came near 
Tientsin the scene was imposing. Wherever they passed 
a fort twenty-one guns were fired. All the junks and ves- 
sels were dressed in bunting. A fleet of Chinese gunboats 
formed in line, and each vessel manned yards. The boom- 
ing of the cannon, the waving of the flags, the manned 
yards, the multitude that lined the banks, the fleet of junks 
massed together and covered with curious lookers-on, the 
stately Ashuelot, carrying the American flag at the fore, 
towering high above the slender Chinese vessels and an- 
swering salutes gun for gun; the noise, the smoke, the glit- 
ter of arms, the blending and waving of banners and flags 
which lined the forts and the rigging like a fringe — al' 
combined to torm one ol tne most vivid and imposmg ■ 
pageants of their journey. The General stood on the 
quarter-deck, with Commander Johnson, Mr. Holcombe, 
Judge Denny and Mr. Dillon, making acknowledgments 
by raising his hat as he passed each ship. As they came 
near the landing, the yacht of the Viceroy, carrying his 
flag, steamed toward them, and as soon as their anchor • 
found its place hauled alongside. First came two mandarins 
carrying the Viceroy's card. General Grant stood at the 
gangway, accompanied by the officers of the ship, and as 
the Viceroy stepped over the side of the Ashuelot the yards 
were manned and a salute was fired. Judge Denny, ad- 
vancing, met the Viceroy and presented him to General 
Grant as the great soldier and statesman of China. The 
Viceroy presented the members of his suite, and the Gen- 
eral, taking his arm, led him to the upper deck, where the 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 45 I 

two Generals sat in conversation for some time, while tea 
and cigars and wine were passed around in approved 
Chinese foshion. 

The great Viceroy, perhaps to-day the most powerful 
subject in China, had taken the deepest interest in the coming 
of General Grant. He was of the same age as the Gen- 
eral. They won their victories at the same time, the South- 
ern rebellion ending in April, the Taeping rebellion in 
July, ^865. While General Grant was making his progress 
in India, the Viceroy followed his movements, and had all 
the particulars of the journey translated. As soon as the 
General reached Hong Kong, our Consul, Judge Denny, 
conveyed a welcome from the Viceroy.' When questions 
were raised as to the reception of the General in Tientsin, 
the V iccroy ended tne matter by declaring mat no honor 
should be wanting to the General, and that he himself 
would be the first Chinaman to greet him in Tientsin and 
welcome him to the chief province of the empire. Between 
General Grant and the Viceroy friendly relations grew up, 
and while in Tientsin they saw a great deal of each other. 
The Viceroy had said that he did not care merely to look 
at, or even to make his acquaintance, but to know him well 
and talk with him. The Viceroy is known among the 
most advanced school of Chinese statesmen, anxious co 
introduce all the improvements of the Western world, to 
strengthen and develop China. This subject so dear to 
him was one that the General has, whenever he has met 
Chinese statesmen, tried to impress upon their minds — the 
necessity of developing their country, and of doing it them- 
selves. 

The General formed a high opinion of the Vicerov 
as a statesman of resolute and far-seeing character. This 
opinion was formed after many conversations — official, 
ceremonial and personal. The visit of the Viceroy to the 
General was returned next day in great pomp. There was 



452 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

a marine guard from the Ashuelot. They went to the 
viceregal palace in the Viceroy's yacht, and as they steamed 
up the river every foot of ground, every spot on the junks, 
was covered with people. At the landing, trooj^s were 
drawn up. A chair lined with yellow silk, such a chair as 
is only used by the Emperor, was awaiting the General. 
As far as the eye could reach, the multitude stood exj^ect- 
ant and gazing, and they went to the palace through a line 
of troops, who stood with arms at a present. Amid the 
tiring of guns, the beating of gongs, the procession slowly 
marched to the palace door. The Viceroy, surrounded by 
his mandarins and attendants, welcomed the General. At 
the close of the mterview General Grant and the Viceroy sat 
for a photograph. This picture Li-Hung Chang wished 
to preserve as a memento of the General's visit, and it was 
taken in one of the palace rooms. A day or two later there 
was a ceremonial dinner given in a temple. The hour was 
noon, and the Viceroy invited several guests to meet the 
General. The dinner was a stupendous, princely affair, 
containing all the best points of Chinese and European 
cookery, and, although the hour was noon, the afternoon 
had far gone when it came to an end. 

Before it ended, Mr. Detring, on behalf of the Viceroy, 
arose and read this speech: 

"Gentlemen: It has given me great pleasure to 
welcome you as my guests to-day, more especially as you 
aid me in showing honor to the distinguished man who is 
now with us. General Grant's eminent talents as a sol- 
dier and a statesman, and his popularity while chief ruler 
of a great country, are known to us all. I think it may be 
said of him now, as it was said of Washington a century 
ago, that he is "first in war, first in peace, and first in the 
hearts of his countrymen." His fame, and the admiration 
and respect it excites, are not confined to his own country, 
as the events of his present tour around the world will 



Tour auound the world. 45^ 

prove, and China should not be thought unwilhng to wel- 
come such a visitor. I thank the General for the honor he 
has conferred upon me. I thank you all, gentlemen, for 
the pleasure you have given me to-day, and I now ask you 
to join me in drinking the health of General Grant, ana 
wishing him increasing fame and prosperity." 

The Viceroy and all his guests arose and remained 
standing while Mr. Detring read this speech. At the close, 
the Viceroy lifted a glass of wine, and, bowing to the Gen- 
eral, drank the toast. General Grant then arose and said: 

"Your Excellency and Gentlemen of the 
Consular Corps: I am very much obliged to you for 
the welcome I have received in Tientsin, which is only a 
repetition of the kindness shown to me by the representa- 
tives of all nations since I came within the coasts of China. 
I am grateful to the Viceroy for the especial consideration 
which I have received at his hands. His history as a sol- 
dier and statesman of the Chinese Empire has been known 
to me, as it has been known to all at home who have fol- 
lowed Chinese affairs, for a quarter of a century. I am 
glad to meet one who has done such great service to his 
country. My visit to China has been full of interest. I 
have learned a gixat deal of the civilization, the manners, 
the achievements, and the industry of the Chinese people, 
and I shall leave the country with feelings of friendship 
toward them, and a desire that they may be brought into 
relations of the closest commercial alliance and intercourse 
with the other nations. I trust that the Viceroy will some 
time find it in his power to visit my country, when I shall 
be proud to return, as far as I can, the hospitality I have 
received from him. Again thanking your Excellency for 
your reception, and you, gentlemen of the Consular corps, 
for your kindness, I ask you to join with me in a toast to 
the prosperity of China and the health of the Viceroy." 

When this speech was ended there was tea, and then 



454 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

came cigars. The Viceroy had arranged for a photograph 
of the whole dinner party. So their portraits were taken 
in the room where they had dined, the Viceroy and the 
General sitting in the middle, beside a small tea table. On 
the side of the General were the European, on that of the 
Viceroy the Chinese, members of the party. This func- 
tion over, they returned to their yacht amid the same cere- 
monies as those which attended their coming, and steamed 
back to the Consulate, the river still lined with thousands 
of Chinamen. 

There was ^fctc at the French Consulate — it was made 
brilliant by a display of fireworks and also of jugglery; 
the Viceroy, the General and the ladies of the party sitting 
on the balcony and watching the performers ; at midnight 
\\\Q,fctc ended, and, considering the small colony and the 
resources possible to so limited a company, was a complete 
success. After enjoying a delightful series of receptions, 
dinners and y?/£'.9, the General and party bid farewell to 
Tientsin, and embarked In a large, clumsy boat, called n 
mandarin's boat, for Pekin, one hundred and fifty miles 
from Tientsin. After a tiresome journey, on the third 
day their boats tied up to the bank at the village of Tung 
Chow. At this point the party were carried in chairs to 
Pekin, arriving at midday. After a severe and uncomfort- 
able ride of five hours they entered the Legation, and met 
a grateful and gracious welcome. 

On the evening of their arrival the American residents 
in Pekin called in a body on the General to welcome him 
and read an address. Dinner over, the General and party 
entered the Legation parlors and were presented to the 
small colony of the favored people who have pitched their 
tents in Pekin. The members of this colony are mission- 
aries, members of the customs staff, diplomatists and one or 
two who have claims or schemes for the consideration of the 
Chinese gfovernment. After beintr introduced to the Gen- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. ^ce 

eral and party, Dr. Martin, the President of the Chinese 
En<;-Hsh University, stepped forward and read the following 
address : 

"Sir: Twenty years ago the American flag for the 
first time entered the gates of this ancient capital. For 
the greater part of that time your countrymen have been 
residin;^- here under its protecting folds, and it is with feel- 
ings of no ordinary type that we gather ourselves beneath 
its shadow this day to welcome your arrival ; because to 
you, sir, under God, it is due that its azure field had not 
been rent in fragments and its golden stars scattered to the 
winds of heaven. Having borne that banner through a 
career of victory w^hich finds few parallels in the page of 
history, it was your high privilege to gather around it in 
a new cemented union the long discordant members of our 
national family. Occupying the most exalted position to 
which it was possible for you to be elevated by the voice 
of a grateful people, your strength was in the justice and 
moderation of your administration, a force more jDocem 
than that of armed cohorts. After conferring on our 
country these inestimable benefits, as its leader in war and • 
its guide in the paths of peace, we reflect with pride that 
you have shown the world how a great man can descend 
from a lofty station and yet carry with him the homage of 
his people and the admiration of mankind. As you travel 
from land to land, everywhere welcomed as the citizen of 
a wider commonwealth than that of our native country, we 
cannot forget that your visits to their shores possess an in- 
ternational character of which it is impossible to divest 
them. You are honored as the highest representative of 
our country who has ever gone beyond her borders, and 
America is the more respected for having given birth to 
such a son. Your presence here to-day directs the atten- 
,lion of this venerable empire to the great republic from 
which vou come. It will also have the effect of turninir 



% 

456 GENERAL U. S. GKANt's 

the eyes of our countrymen toward the teeming millions of 
Eastern Asia; and fervently do we trust that it will help 
to impress them with the obligations of justice and hinnan- 
ity in their dealings with the people of China. Your 
antecedents, sir, leave us in no doubt as to the policy that 
would meet your approval. Hoping that your influence 
may contribute to the adjustment of difficulties which 
threaten to react so disastrously on American interests in 
China, and that thereby you will add another to the many 
laurels that crown your brow, we hail your visit as both op- 
poitune and auspicious, and again with one heart we bid 
you welcome to the capital of China. 

"W. A. P. Martin, H. Blodget, D. C. McCoy, H. B. 
Morse, C. C. Moreno, J. H. Pyke, W. F. Walker, II. H. 
Lowry, J. H. Roberts, W. C. Noble, Chester Holcombe. 
'■'■Pekin, June 3, iSygP 
The General, in a quiet, conversational tone, said he was 
always glad to meet his fellow countrymen, and the kind 
words in which he had been welcomed added to the pleas- 
ure which such a meeting afforded in Pekin. The Ameri- 
cans were a wonderful people, he said, smiling, for you 
found them everywhere, even here in this distant and in- 
accessible capital. He was especially pleased with the 
allusion in the address to the fact that in America a career 
was possible to the humblest station in life. His own career 
was one of the best examples of the possibilities open to 
any man and every man at home*. That feature in America- 
he was proud to recognize, for it was one of the golden 
principles of our government. The General again thanked 
the delegation for their kindness, wished them all pros- 
perity in their labors in China, and a happy return to their 
homes, where he hoped some day to meet them. 

Within an hour after the General's arrival, he was 
waited upon by the members of tiie Cabinet, who came in 
a body, accompanied by the military and civil (jovernors of 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



457 



Pekin, These are the highest officials in China, men of 
grace and stately demeanor. They were received in Chi- 
nese fashion, seated around a table covered with sweet- 
meats, and served with tea. The first Secretary brought 
with him the card of Prince Kung, the Prince Regent of 
the Empire, and said that His Imperial Highness had 
charged him to present all kind wishes to General Grant, 
and to express the hope that the trip in China had been 
pleasant. The Secretary also said that, as soon as the 
Prince Regent heard from the Chinese Minister in Paris 
that General Grant was coming to China, he sent orders to 
the officials to receive him with due honor. The General 
said that he had received nothing but honor and courtesy 
from China, and this answer pleased the Secretary, who said 
he would be happy to carry it to the Prince Regent. 

General Grant ditl not ask an audience of the Emperor. 
The Emperor is a child seven years of age, at his books, 
not in good health, and under the care of two old ladies, 
called the Empresses. When the Chinese Minister in Paris 
spoke to General Grant about audience, and his regret that 
the sovereign of China was not of age that he might per- 
sonally entertain the ex-President, the General said he 
hoped no question of audience would be raised. He had 
no personal curiosity to see the Emperor, and there could 
be no useful object in conversing with a child. 

As soon as General Grant arrived at Pekin, he was 
met by the Secretary of State, who brought the card of 
Prince Kung, and said His Imperial Highness would be 
glad to see General Grant at ar.y time. The General named 
the succeeding day, at three. The General and party left the 
Legation at half past two. 

The way to the Yamen was over dirty roads, and through 
a disagreeable part of the town, the day being warm. When 
they came to the court-yard of the Yamen, the Secretaries 
and a group of mandarins received the General and his 



45^ GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

party, and escorted them into the inner court. Prince 
Kung, who was standing ac vhe door, with a group of high 
officers, advanced and saluted the General, and said a few 
words of welcome, which were translated by Mr, Hol- 
combe, the acting Minister. 

The Prince saluted General Grant in Taitar fashion, 
looking at him for a moment with an earnest, curious gaze, 
like one who had formed an idea of some kind and was 
anxious to see how far his ideal had been realized. The 
sun was beating down, and the party passed into a large, 
plainly furnished room, where was a table laden witli Chi- 
nese food. The Prince, sitting down at the centre, gave 
General Grant the seat at his left, the post of honor in 
China. He then took up the cards, one by one, which had 
been written in Chinese characters on red paper, and asked 
Mr. Holcombe for the name and station of each member 
of General Grant's suite. 

• As princes go, few are more celebrated than Prince 
Kung. He is a Prince of the imperial house of China, 
brother of the late Emperor and uncle of the present. In 
appeariince the Prince is of middle statui'e, with a sharp, 
narrow face, a high forehead — made more prominent by 
the Chinese custom of shaving the forehead — and a 
changing, evanescent expression of countenance. He has 
been at the head of the Chinese government since the 
English invasion and the burning of the Summer Palace. 
He was the only Prince who remained at his post at that 
time, and consequently when the peace came it devolved 
upon him to make it. This negotiation gave him a 
European celebrity, and a knowledge of Europeans that 
was of advantage. European powers have preferred to 
keep in power a prince with whom the}' have made 
treaties before. In the politics of China, Prince Kung has 
shown courage and ability. When the Emperor, his 
brother, died, in iS6l, a council was formed composed of 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 4:^9 

princes and noblemen of high rank. This council claimed 
to sit by the will of the deceased Emperor. The inspiring 
element was hostility to foreigners. Between this Regency 
and the Prince there was war. The Emperor was a 
child — his own nephew — just as the present Emperor is a 
child. Suddenly a decree coming from the child-Emperor 
was read, dismissing the Regency, making the Dowager 
Empress Regent," and giving the power to Prince Kung. 
This decree Prince Kung enforced with vigor, decision 
and success. He arrested the leading members of the 
Regency, charged them with having forged the will under 
which they claimed the Regency, and sentenced three of 
them to death. Two of the regents were permitted to 
commit suicide, but the other was beheaded. From that 
day,vuider the Empresses, Prince Kung has been the ruler 
of China. 

General Grant could not remain long enough in the 
Yamen to finish the dinner, as he had an engagement to 
visit the college for the teaching of an English education 
to young Chinese. This institution is under the direction 
of Dr. Martin, an American, and the buildings adjoin the 
Yamen. Consequently, on taking leave of the Prince, 
who said he would call and see the General at the Lega- 
tion, they walked a few steps, and were escorted into the 
classroom of the College. Doctor Martin presented Gen- 
eral Grant to the students and professors, and one of the 
students read the following address : 

"General U. S. Grant, ex-President of the United States: 
"Sir: We have long heard your name, but never 
dreamed that we would have an opportunity to look on 
your face. Formerly the people of your Southern States 
rebelled against your government and nearly obtained pos- 
session of the land, but, through your abilit}- in leading the 
national forces, the rebel chief was captured and the coun- 
try tranquilized. Having commanded a million of men 



460 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

and survived a hundred battles, your merit w^as recognized 
as the highest in your own land, and your name became 
know^n in every quarter of the globe. Raised to the 
Presidency by the voice of a grateful people, you laid 
aside the arts of w^ar and sought only to achieve the victo- 
ries of peace. The people enjoyed tranquility, commerce 
flourished, manufactures revived, and the whole nation 
daily became more wealthy and powerful. Your achieve- 
ments as a civil ruler are equally great with your military 
triumphs. Now that you have resigned the Presidency, 
you employ your leisure in visiting different parts of the 
world, and the people of all nations and all ranks welcome 
your arrival. It requires a fame like yours to produce 
effects like these. We, the students of this college, are 
very limited in our attainments, but all men love the wise 
and respect the virtuous. We, therefore, feel honored by 
this opportunity of standing in your presence. It is our 
sincere hope that another term of the Presidency may come 
to you, not only that your own nation may be benefited, 
but that our countrymen resident in America may enjoy 
the blessings of your protection. 

" Wang Fengtsar, tutor in Mathematics. 

" Wen Hsii, tutor in English. 

"Na San, tutor in English. 
" On behalf of the students of Tunguon College. 
" Knvang Sit, £ y. 4 m. 16 d. — jfiine £, ^^79-" 
The General, in response, said : 

"Gentlemen: I am much obliged to you for your 
welcome and for the compliments you pay me. I am glad 
to meet you and see in the capital of this vast and ancient 
empire an institution of learning based upon English 
principles, and in which you can learn the English 
language. I have been struck with nothing so much in 
my tour around the world as with the fact that the jjrogress 
of civilization — of our modern civilization — is marked by 



TOUR AROUND THK WORLD. 46 1 

the progress of the English tongue. I rejoice in this foot, 
and I rejoice in your cftbrts to attain a knowledge of En- 
glish speech and all that such a knowledge must convey. 
You have my warmest wishes for your success in this and 
in all your undertakings, and my renewed thanks for the 
honor you have shown me." 

Prince Kung was punctual in his return of the call of 
General Grant. He came to the Legation in his chair, and 
was received by General Grant in the parlors of the Lega- 
tion. Several officers from the Richmond happened to be 
in Pekin on a holiday, and the General invited them, as 
well as the officers of the Ashuelot, who were at the Lega- 
tion, to receive the Prince. As all the officers were in full 
uniform, the reception of the Prince became almost an im- 
posing affialr. The Prince was accompanied by the Grand 
Secretaries, and, as soon as he was presented to the mem- 
bers of the General's party, he was led into the dining- 
room, and they all sat around a table, and were given tea 
and sweetmeats and champagne. During this visit there 
occurred a remarkable conversation, which may not be 
without its effiict upon the politics of the East. The gen- 
eral features of this conversation were no less than a prop- 
osition to utilize the services of General Grant as a peace- 
maker. 

In the form of asking General Grant's " advice," and 
under cover of an anxiety to confer with him, and with a 
graceful apology for talking business to a visitor out of the 
harness, this adroit diiolomatist engaged in conversation 
on the subject of the seizure of the Loochoo Islands by 
Japan, and the consequent disturbance of friendly relations 
between Japan and China. " I feel that I should apologize 
even for the reference," said the Prince, " which I would 
not have ventured upon, but for our conviction that one who 
has had so high a place in determining the affairs of the 
world can have no higher interest than that of furthering 



463 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



peace and justice." There can be no handsomer way than 
this to compel attention and demand assistance; and, when 
one is thus pressed by a man of Prince Kung's dignity — by 
the ruler of the greatest aggregation of human creatures of 
which history has any record — the generous mind perceives 
that a grand condescension thus presented as a request can- 
not be put aside. General Grant's own succinct statement 
of the spirit of the foreign policy of the American govern- 
ment was also such as to exhibit h*s sympathy with this 
fine conception, that a desire to aid the progress of justice 
in the world should be the first interest of a gentleman in 
whatever circumstances he might be called upon — a senti- 
ment of knight errantry in statesmanship. Our foreign 
policy, the General said, is made up of "fair play, con- 
sideration for the rights of others, respect for international 
law," which is a handy adaptation to national circumstances 
of the three points laid down by Justinian's lawyers as 
sufiicient to properly regulate every human life — '•''honeste 
viverc, altcrum 71071 Iccdo-e^ stiU77i cuique trib7ie7'eP Between 
two men of great experience, accustomed to deal in the great 
concerns of human life, and whose minds have taken color 
from their great functions, it is not strange to find this 
ready sympathy on such a topic, and the world will not be 
astonished to hear that General Grant straightforwardly 
said: "I told the Viceroy at Tientsin that everything I 
could do in the interest of peace was my duty and my pleas- 
ure. I can conceive of no higher office for any man." 

The Prince, when he had finished his conversation, 
drew toward him a glass of champagne, and, addressing 
Mr. Holcombe, said he wished to again express to Gen- 
eral Grant the honor felt by the Chinese government at 
having i"eceived this visit. He made special inquiries as to 
when the General would leave, the hour of his departure, 
the ways and periods of his journey. He asked whether 
there was anything wanting to complete the happiness of 



TOUK AROUND THE WORLD. 



463 



the General, or show the honor in which he had been held 
by China. In taking his leave, he -wished to drink espe- 
cially the health of General Grant, to wish him a prosper- 
ous voyage, and long and honorable years on his return 
home. This sentiment the General returned, and, rising, 
led the way to the door, where the chair of the Prince and 
the bearers were in waiting. The other Ministers accom- 
panied the Prince, and, on taking leave, saluted the Gen- 
eral in the ceremonious Chinese style. The Prince entered 
his chair, and was snatched up and carried away by his 
bearers, the guard hurriedly mounting and riding after. 

General Grant and party returned to Tientsin by boat, 
and immediately upon his landing received a message from 
the Viceroy that he was on his way to call. The General 
received the Viceroy at the house of Consul Denny. After 
a warm welcome, together they passed into an inner room 
and received tea and sweetmeats in Chinese fashion. The 
Viceroy had received. instructions from the Prince Regent 
to continue the conversation with General Grant on the 
matter of the issue with Japan. After a long and intensely 
interesting conversation, and a thorough analysis of the 
matters at issue, the Viceroy pressed every point to influence 
the General to act as mediator, laying special stress upon 
the name and influence of General Grant. The General 
thought it was a diplomatic question, and could be settled 
through the good offices of ministers of other nations. 
The Viceroy claimed that it was not a diplomatic question, 
as Japan had refused to notice any communication from 
China; consequently there was no chance of reaching a 
solution by the ordinary methods of diplomacy. How can 
you talk to ministers and governments about matters which 
they will not discuss? But when a man like General Grant 
comes to China and Japan, he comes with an authorit} 
which gives him power to make peace. In the interest of 
peace, China asks the General to interest himself. Chin:, 



^64 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

cannot consent to the position Japan has taken. On that 
point there is no indecision in the councils of the govern- 
ment. The Viceroy had no fear of Japan or of the con- 
sequences of any conflict which Japan would force upon 
China. 

General Grant said his hope and belief were that the 
difficulty would end peacefull}' and honorably. He appre- 
ciated the compliment paid him by the Chinese govern- 
ment. The Viceroy and Prince Kung overrated his power, 
but not his wish, to preserve peace, and especially to prevent 
such a de^Dlorable thing as a war between China and Japan. 
When he reached Japan he would confer with jMr. Bing- 
ham and see how the matter stood. He v^rould study the 
Japanese case as carefully as he proposed studying the 
Chinese case. He would, if possible, confer with the Jap- 
anese authorities. What his opinion would be when he 
heard both sides he could not anticipate. If the question 
took such a shape that, with advantage to the cause of peace 
and without interfering with the wishes of his own gov- 
ernment, he could advise or aid in a solution, he would be 
happy, and, as he remarked to Prince Kung, this happiness 
would not be diminished if in doing so his action did not 
disappoint the Chinese government. So came to an end 
an interesting and extraordinary conversation. 

Pleasant, notably, were General Grant and party's rela- 
tions with the great Viceroy, whose kindness seemed to 
grow with every hour, and to tax itself for new forms in 
which to form expression. Li-Hung Chang's reception of 
General Grant was as notable an event in the uttef setting 
aside of precedents and traditions as can be found in the 
recent history of China. It rec[uired a great man, who 
could afibrd to l)c progressive and independent, to do it. 

There was probably nothing more notable than the en- 
tertainment given to Mrs. Grant by the wife of the Vice- 
roy, on the last night of the General's stay in Tientsin. 



TOUR Ai{OlfND TIIR WOlU.lK i6s 

The principal European ladies in the colon}' were invited. 
Some of these ladies had lived in Tientsin for years, and 
had never seen the wife of the Viceroy — had never seen 
him except through the blinds of the window of his chair. 
The announcement that the Viceroy had really in\ited 
Mrs. Grant to meet his wife, and European ladies to be in 
the company, was even a more transcendent event than the 
presence of General Grant. Societ^• rang with a discus- 
sion of the question which, since Mother Eve introduced it 
to the attention of her husband, has been the absorbing 
theme of civilization — what shall we wear? The ques- 
tion was finally decided in favor of the resources of civiliza- 
tion. The ladies went in all the glory of French fashion 
and taste. They came back from the viceregal din- 
ner at about eleven at night, and General Grant and party 
went immediately on board the Ashuelot. Here the fare- 
wells to kind friends were spoken, and it was with sincere 
regret that they said farewell. The Viceroy had sent word 
that he would not take his leave of General Grant until he 
was on the border of his dominions and out at sea. He 
had gone on ahead in his j-acht, and, \vith a fleet of gun- 
boats, would await the General at the mouth of the river, 
and accompany him on board the Richmond. Orders had 
been given that the forts should fire salutes, and that the 
troops should parade, and the vessels dress with flags. 
About eleven o'clock in the morning the Ashuelot came 
up with the viceregal fleet, at anchor under the guns of 
the Waku forts. As they passed, every vessel manned 
yards, and all their guns and the guns of the fort thundered 
a farewell. Three miles out the Richmond was sighted, 
and the Ashuelot steamed direct toward her, and in a short 
time the Ashuelot swung around amid the thunder of the 
guns of the Richmond. At noon the General passed over 
the sides of the Richmond, and was received by another 



^.66 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

salute. After the General had been received, the ship's 
barge was sent to the Viceroy's boat, and in a few min- 
utes returned with Li-Hung Chang. General Grant re- 
ceived the Viceroy, and again the yards were manned, and 
a salute of nineteen guns was fired. 

The Viceroy and his suite were shown into the cabin. 
Tea was served, and, Li-Hung Chang having expressed a 
desire to see the vessel, he was taken into everv i^art, gave 
its whole arrangement, and especially tine guns, a minute 
inspection. This lasted for an hour, and the Viceroy re- 
turned to the cabin to take his leave. He seemed loath to 
go, and remained in conversation for some time. General 
Grant expressed his deep sense of the honor which had 
been done him, his pleasure at having met the Viceroy. 
He urged the Viceroy to make a visit to the United States, 
and in a few earnest phrases repeated his hope that the 
statesmen of China would persevere in a policy which 
brought them nearer to our civilization. Th6 Viceroy was 
friendly, almost affectionate. He hoped that General 
Grant would not forget nun; tnat he would like to meet 
the General now and then, and if China needed the Gen- 
eral's counsel he would send it. He feared he could not 
visit foreign lands, and regretted tliat he had not done so 
in earlier years. He spoke of the friendship of the United 
States as dear to China, and again commended to the Gen- 
eral and the American people the Chinese who had gone 
to America. It made his heart sore to hear of their ill 
usage, and he depended upon the justice and honor of our 
government for their protection. He again alluded to the 
Loochoo question with Japan, and begged General Grant 
would speak to the Japanese Emperor, and in securing jus- 
tice remove a cloud from Asia which threw an ominous 
shadow over the East. The General bade the Viceroy fare- 
well, and said he would not forget what had been said, and 



TOUR AROUND TlIK WORLD. 



467 



that he would always think of the Viceroy with friendship 
and esteem. So they parted, Li-Hunj^ Chani^ departint^ 
amid the roar of our cannon and ihe manning of the 
yards, while the Richmond slowly pushed her prow into 
the rippling waves and steamed along to Japar.. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



GENERAL GRANT IN JAPAN. 

General Gnint and party arrived at Nagasaki on Jmie 
21, on the United States steamer Richmond, accompanied 
by the Ashuelot, the latter bringing Judge Denny, Consul 
at Tientsin, and other friends from China. There was no 
formal demonstration by foreign residents, further than an 
address of welcome by the committee of thirteen, chosen 
to represent all alien nationalities. Frequent entertainments 
were given by the Japanese. 

The Governor of the province gave a state dinner on 
the evening of the 23d of June, served in French fashion; 
one that in its details would have done no discredit to the 
restaurants in Paris. To this dinner the Governor asked 
Captain Benham, of the Richmond; Commander Johnson, 
of the Ashuelot, and Lieutenant-Commander Clarke. At 
the close. His Excellency Utsumi Tadakatsu arose and 
said : 

"General Grant and Gentlemen: After a two^ 
years' tour through many lands, Nagasaki has been honored 
by a visit from the ex-President of the United States. 
Nagasaki is situated on the western shore of this Empire, 
and how fortunate it is that I, in my official capacity as 
Governor of Nagasaki, can greet and welcome you, sir, as 
you land for the first time on the soil of Japan. Many 
years ago, honored sn-, I learned to appreciate your great 
seivices, and during a visit to tlie United States I was filled 
with an ardent desire to learn more of your illustrious deeds. 



Toin{ Auoi'ND rnK wohi.d. i'-i 

You were then the President of the United States, and 
little then did I anticipate that 1 should he the lu'st Governor 
to receive you in Japan. Words cannot express my feel- 
ings. Nagasaki is so far from the seat of government that 
I fear you cannot have matters arranged to your s;(tisfac- 
tion. It is my earnest wish that you and Mrs. Grant may 
safely travel through Japan and enjoy the visit." 

This address was spoken in Japanese. At its close an 
interpreter, who stood behind His Excellency during its 
delivery, advanced and read the above translation. When 
the Governor finished, General Grant arose and said: 

"Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen: 
You have here to-night several Americans who have the 
talent of speech, and who could make an eloquent response 
to the address in which my health is proposed. I have Uvj 
such gift, and I never lamented its absence more than now, 
when there is so much that I want to say about yoiu" coun- 
trv, your people and your progress. I have not been an 
inattentive observer of that progress, and in America we 
have been favored with accounts of it from my distinguished 
friend, whom you all know as the friend of Japan, and 
whom it was my privilege to send as Minister — I mean 
Judge Bingham. The spirit which has actuated the mis- 
sion of Judge Bingham — the spirit of s}'mpathy, support 
and conciliation — not only expressed my own sentiments, 
but those of America. America has much to gain in the 
East — no nation has greater interests — but America has 
1 nothing to gain except what comes from the cheerful ac- 
quiescence of the Eastern people, and insures tliem as 
much benefit as it does us. I should be ashamed of my 
country if its relations with other nations, and especially 
with these ancient and most interesting empires in the East, 
were based upon any other idea. We have I'ejoiced over 
your progress. We have watched you step by step. We 
have followed the unfolding of your old civilization, and its 



472 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 



absorbing the new. You b.ave had our profound sympathy in 
tiiat work, our sympathy in the troubles which came with it, 
and our friendship. I hope that it may continue — that it 
may long continue. As I have said, America has great 
interests in the East. She is j^our next neighbor. She is 
more affected by the Eastern populations than anv other 
power. She can never be insensible to what is doing here. 
Whatever her influence may be, I am proud to ihink that 
it has always been exerted in behalf of justice and kindness. 
No nation needs from the outside powers justice and kind- 
ness more than Japan, because the work that has made 
such marvelous progress in the past few years is a w^ork 
in which we are deeply concerned, in the success of which 
we see a new era in civilization, and which we shoukl en- 
com^age, I do not know, gentlemen, that I can say anything 
more than this in response to the kind words of the Gov- 
ernor. Judge Bingham can speak with much more elo- 
quence and much more authority as our Minister. But I 
could not allow the occasion to pass without saying how 
deeply I sympathized with Japan in her efforts to advance, 
and how much those efforts were appreciated in America. 
In that spirit I ask you to unite with me in a sentiment: 
' The prosperity and the independence of Japan.' " 

General Grant, a few minutes later, arose and said that 
he wished to propose another toast — a personal one — the 
drinking of which would be a great pleasure to him. This 
was the health of Judge Bingham, the American Minister 
to Japan. He had appointed the Judge Minister, and he 
was glad to know that the confidence expressed in that 
appointment had been confirmed by the admiration and 
respect of the Japanese pco])le. When a Minister serves 
his own country as well as ludge Bingham has served 
America, and in doing so wins the esteem of the authori- 
ties and the people to whom he is accredited, he has 
achieved the highest success in diplomacy. 



TOUK AltOUNI) IHK WORLD. 



473 



Mr. Yoshida, the Japanese Minister, arose and asked 
leave to add his high appreciation of Mr. Bingham, and the 
value wrhich had been placed on his friendship to J;ipan by 
the government. He was proud to bear public tribute to 
Mr. Bingham's sincerity and friendliness, and to join in 
drinking his health. 

Judge Bingham, in response to the sentiments of per- 
sonal regard offered by Mr. Yoshida, acknowledged the 
courtesy to himself, and said that he had come hither to 
join the official representatives of His Majesty the Em- 
peror, and also the people of Nagasaki in fitting testimo- 
nials of respect to General Grant, the friend of the United 
States of America, and the friend of Japan. He had come 
to Japan as Minister, bearing the commission issued by the 
distinguished guest of the evening. It had been his en- 
deavor to foithfully discharge his duties, and in such man- 
ner as would strengthen the friendship between the two 
countries, and promote the commercial interests of both. 
He knew that in so acting he reflected the wishes of the 
illustrious man who is the guest of the Empire, and the 
wishes also of the President and people of the United 
States. " The Government of my country," said Mr. 
Bingham, " has, by a recent treaty with Japan, manifested 
its desire that justice may be done, by according to Japan 
her right to regulate her own commercial affairs, and to do 
justice is the highest duty, as it is the highest interest, of 
civil government." 

On June 24, General Grant was banqueted by the citi- 
zens in the style of the daimios, the feudal lords of Japan. 
The place selected was the old temple in the heart of the 
city. The party numbered about twenty, including Gen- 
eral Grant and party, Consul Mangum and family, and 
Consul Denny and fmiily. The Herald correspondent ac- 
companying General Grant speaks of this dinner as follows: 
" The dinner was served on small tables, each guest 



^74 GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 

having a table to himself. The merchants of the city 
waited on their guests, and with them a swarm of attend- 
ants wearing the costumes of Japan. The bill of fare was 
almost a volume, and embraced over fifty courses. The 
wine was served in unglazed porcelain wine cups, on white 
wooden stands. The ajDpetite was pampered in the begin- 
ning with dried fish, edil)le seaweeds and isinglass, in some- 
thing of the Scandinavian stvle, except that the attempt did 
not take the form of brandy and raw fish. The first serious 
dish was composed of crane, seaweed, moss, rice bread and 
potatoes, which we picked over in a curious way, as though 
we were at an auction sale of remnants, anxious to rummage 
out a bargain. The soup, when it first came — for it came 
many times — was an honest soup of fish, like a delicate 
fish chowder. Then came strange dishes, as ragout and as 
soup, in bewildering confusion. The first was called 
namasu, and embodied fish, clams, chestnuts, rock mush- 
rooms and ginger. Then, in various combinations, the fol- 
lowing: duck, truffles, turnips, dried bonito, melons, pressed 
salt, aromatic shrubs, snipe, egg j^^'^^t, jelly, boiled rice, 
snapper, shrimp, potatos, mushroom, cabbage, lassfish, 
orange flowers, powdered fish, flavored with plum juice 
and walnuts, raw carp sliced, mashed fish, baked fish, isin- 
glass, fish boiled with pickled beans, \vine, and rice again. 
This all came in the first course, and as a finale to the 
course there was a sweetmeat composed of white and red 
bean jelly cake, and boiled black mushroom. With this 
came powdered tea, which had a green, monitory look, 
and suggested your earliest experience in medicine. When 
the first pause came in the dinner, two of the merchant 
hosts advanced toward General Grant and read the fodow- 
ing address : — 

"'General U. S. Grant: In the name of the citizens 
of Nagasaki we offer vou a sincere welcome to this small 
town. We feel greatly honored by your visit to Nagasaki, 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 477 

and still more so by your becoming our guest this evening. 
Any outward signs of respect and hospitality we ofler you 
are but a traction of our kindly feelings toward you, 
and are quite inadequate to express the great admiration 
we have for you. On your return to your own great 
country, after having visited this Eastern Empire, we trust 
you will carry with 3'ou pleasant reminiscences and friendly 
feelings toward our country and people. We wish you 
a successful career and a long life and health to enjoy the 
illustrious name and position you have made for yourself. 
The dinner at which you have honored us with your com- 
pany is given in this country to convey from the hosts 
their well wishes and the friendship they feel toward their 
honorable guest; and in the hope that a long and sincere 
intmiacy may be promoted between our guest and those we 
have the honor to represent to-night, we have offered you 
this poor entertainment. 

" ' We have the honor to be, with much respect, your 
most obedient servants, 

'"awoki klniiiciiiro, 

'"Matsuda Gongoro. 
"'June 24^18'jg: 

" ' General Grant arose, and said: 

" ' Gentlemen : I am highly honored by your address, 
and also by this sumptuous entertainment. I have enjoved 
exceedingly my visit to Japan, and appreciate more than I 
can sa}- the kindness that has been shown me by all per- 
sons. But I have enjoyed nothing more than this, because 
it comes from the citizens of Nagasaki, and is entirely unof- 
ficial. That I take as an especial compliment, coming as it 
does from the people and not the government. For while 
I am deeplv gratified for all that your government is doing 
to render m}' trip here agreeable and instructive, I have a 
peculiar pleasure in meeting those who are not in author- 
ity, who are the citizens of a country, f shall take away 



AjS GENERAT. U. S. GRANt's 

from Na,g;-asaki the most grateful remembrances of your 
hospitality and the most pleasant recollections of the 
beauty ot the place. Again accept my sincere thanks for 
your kindness.' 

" When the second course was finished — the course that 
came to an end in powdered tea and sweetmeats, composed 
of white and red bean jelly cake and boiled black mush- 
room — there was an interval. All arose from the table 
and sauntered about on the graveled walk, and looked down 
upon the bay and the enfolding hills. One never tires of 
a scene like Nagasaki; everything is so ripe and rich and 
old. Time has done so much for the venerable town, the 
etldies of a new civilization are rushing in upon Nagasaki. 
The town has undergone vast changes since the day when 
Dutch merchants were kept in a reservation more secluded 
than we have ever kept our Indians; when Xavier and his 
disciples threaded those narrow streets preaching the salva- 
tion that comes through the blood of Jesus; when Chris- 
tians were driven at the point of the spear to yon beetling 
cliff and tumbled into the sea. These are momentous events 
in the history of Japan. They were merely incidents in 
the history of Nagasaki. The ancient town has lived on 
sleepily, embodying and absorbing the features of Eastern 
civilization, unchanged and unchanging, its beauty expres- 
sive because it is a beauty of its own, untinted by Euro- 
peans. We have old towns in the European world. We 
even speak as if we had a past in fresh America. But 
what impresses you in these aspects of Eastern develop- 
ment is their anticjuity, before which the most ancient of 
our towns ar? but as yesterday. The spirit of ages breathes 
over Nagasaki, and you cease to think of chronology and 
see only the deep, rich tones which time has given and 
which time alone can give. 

"But while we could well spend our evening strolling 
over this gravelec] walk and leaning over the quaint brick 



TOUR AROirNO TIIK WOULD. 



479 



wall and studying the varied and ever changing scene that 
sweeps beneath us, we must not forget our entertaitniient. 
On returning to the dining-room, we find that the serv- 
ants have brought in the candles. Before each table is a 
pedestal, on which a candle burns, and the old temple lights 
up with a new splendor. To add to this splendor the walls 
have been drajDcd with heavy silks, embroidered with gold 
and silver, with quaint and curious legends in the history 
of Japan. The merchants enter again, bearing meats. 
Advancing to the centre of the room, and to the Gen- 
eral, they kneel and press their foreheads to the floor. 
With this demure courtesy the course begins. Other 
attendants enter, and place on each table the lacquer bowls 
and dishes. Instead of covering the tables with a variety 
of food, and tempting you with auxiliary dishes of water- 
melon seeds and almond kernels, as in China, the Japanese 
give you a small variety at a time. Our amiable friend, 
the Japanese Minister, w^arned us in the beginning not to 
be in a hurry, to restrain our cinnosity, not to hurry our in- 
vestigations into the science of a Japanese table, but to pick 
and nibble and wait — that there were good things coming, 
which we should not be beyond the condition of enjoying. 
What a comfort, for instance, a roll of bread woukl be, and 
a glass of dry champagne! But there is no bread and no 
wine, and our only drink is the hot preparation from rice, 
with its sherry flavor, which is poured out of a teapot into 
shallow lacquer saucers, and which you sip, not without 
relish, although it has no place in any beverage known to 
your experience. We are dining, however, in strict Jap- 
anese fashion, just as the old daimios did, and our hosts are 
too good artists to spoil a feast with champagne. Then it 
has been going on for hours, and when you have reached 
the fourth hour of a dinner, even a temperance dinner, with 
nothing more serious than a hot, insipid, sherry-like rice 
drink, you have passed beyond the critical and curious into 



4So 



GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 



the resigned condition. If we had only been governed by 
the Minister, we might have enjoyed this soup, which comes 
first in the course, and, as you hft the lacquered top, you 
know to be hot and fragrant. It is a soup composed of 
carp and mushroom and aromatic shrub. Another dish is 
a prepared fish that looks like a confection of cocoanut, but 
which you see to be fish as you jDrod it with your chop- 
sticks. This is composed of the red snapper fish, and is 
served in red and white alternate squares. It looks well, 
but you pass it by, as well as another dish that is more 
poetic, at least, for it is a preparation of the skylark, wheat- 
flour cake and gourd. We are not offended by the next 
soup, which comes hot and smoking, a soup of buckwheat 
and egg-plant. The egg-plant always seemed to be a vul- 
gar, pretentious plant, that might do for the trough, but 
was never intended for the dignity of the table. But buck- 
wheat in a soup is unfitting, and, allied wath the egg plant, 
is a degradation, and no sense of curious inquiry of investi- 
gation can tolerate so grave a violation of the harmony of 
the table. You push your soup to the end of the table 
and nip off the end of a fresh cigar, and look out upon the 
town, over which the dominant universe has thrown the 
star-sprinkled mantle of night, and follow the lines of light 
that mark the welcome we are enjoying, and trace the 
ascending rockets as they shoot up from the hillside to 
break into masses of dazzling fire and illuminate the 
heavens for a moment in a rhapsody of blue and scarlet 
and green and silver and gold. 

" If you have faith, you will enter bravely into the dish 
that your silk-draped attendant now places before you, and 
as he does bows to the level of the table and slides away. 
This is called oh-hira. The base of this dish is panyu. 
Panyu is a sea fish. The panyu in itself would be a dish, 
but in addition we have a fungus, the roots of tiie hly and 
the stems of the pumpkin. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 48 1 

" While our hosts are passing around the strange dishes 
a signal is made, and the musicians enter. They are maid- 
ens with fair, pale faces, and small, dark, serious eyes. You 
are pleased to see that their teeth have not been blackened, 
as was the custom in past days, and is even now almost a 
prevalent custom among the lower classes. We are told 
that the maidens who have come to grace our feast are not 
of the common singing class, but the daughters of the mer- 
chants and leading citizens of Nagasaki. The first group is 
composed of three. They enter, sit down on the floor, and 
bow their heads in salutation. One of the instruments is 
shaped like a guitar, another is something between a banjo 
and a drum. They wear the costume of the country, the 
costume that was known before the new days came upon 
Japan. They have blue silk gowns, white collars, and 
heavily brocaded pearl- colored sashes. The principal in- 
strument was long and narrow, shaped like a coflin lid, 
ahd sounding like a harpsichord. After they had played 
an overture, another group entered, fourteen maidens simi- 
larly dressed, each carrying the small banjo-like instru- 
ment, and ranging themselves on a bench against the wall, 
the tapestry and silks suspended over them. Then the 
genius of the artist was apparent, and the rich depending 
tapestr}', blended with the blue and white and pearl, and 
animated with the faces of the maidens, their music and 
their songs, made a picture of Japanese life which an artist 
might regard with envy. You see then the delicate features 
of Japanese decoration which have bewitched our artist 
friends, and which the most adroit fingers in vain try to 
copy. When the musicians enter, the song begins. It is 
an original composition. The theme is the glory of America 
and honor to General Grant. They sing of the joy that 
his coming has given to Japan; of the interest and the pride 
they take in his fame; of their friendship for their friends 
across the great sea. This is all sung in Japanese, and we 



4^2 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

follow the lines through the mediation of a Japanese friend 
who learned his English in America. This anthem was 
chanted in a low, almost monotonous key, one singer lead- 
ing in a kind of solo, and the remainder coming in with 
a chorus. The song ended, twelve dancing maidens enter. 
They wore a crimson-like overgarment fashioned like 
pantaloons — a foot or so too long — so that when they 
walked it was with a dainty pace, lest they might trip and 
fall. The director of this group was constantly on his 
hands and knees, creeping around among the dancers, 
keeping their drapery in order, not allowing it to bundle 
up and vex the play. These maidens carried bouquets of 
pink blossoms, artificially made, examples of the flora of 
Japan. They stepjDcd through the dance at as slow a 
measure as in a minuet of Louis XIV. The movement of 
the dance was simple, and the music a humming, thrum- 
ming, as though the performers vv^ere tuning their instru- 
ments. After passing through a few measures the dancers 
slowly filed out, and were followed by another grouj), who 
came wearing masks — the mask in the form of a large 
doll's face — and bearing children's rattles and fans. The 
pcculiai-ity of this dance was that time was kept by the 
movement of the fan — a graceful, expressive movement, 
which only the Eastern people have learned to bestow on 
the fan. With them the fan becomes almost an organ of 
speech, and the eye is employed in its management at the 
expense of the admiration we are apt at home to bestow 
on other features of the amusement. The masks indicated 
that this was a humorous dance, and when it was over four 
special performers, who had unusual skill, came in with 
flowers, and danced a pantomime. Then came four others, 
with costumes different — blue robes, trimmed with gold — 
who carried long, thin wands, entwined in gold and red, 
from which dangled festoons of pink blossoms. 

"All this time the music hummed and thrummed. To 



TOUR AROUND THE WORM). jS^ 

vary the show, we had even a more grotesque amusement. 
First came eight children, who could scarcely do more than 
toddle. They were dressed in white, embroidered in green 
and red, wearing purple caps formed like the Phrygian 
liberty cap, and dangling on the shoulders. They came 
into the temple enclosure and danced on the graveled walk, 
while two, wearing an imitation of a dragon's skin, went 
through a dance and various contortions, supposed to be a 
dragon at play. This reminded us of the pantomime ele- 
phant, where one performer plays the front and another 
the hind legs. In the case of our Japanese dragon the legs 
were obvious, and the performers seemed indisposed even 
to respect the illusion. It was explained that it was an 
ancient village dance, one of the oldest in Japan, and that on 
festive occasions, when the harvests arc ripe or when some 
legend or feat of heroism is to be commemorated, they assem- 
ble and dance it. It was a trifling, innocent dance, and you 
felt as you looked at it, and, indeed, at all the features of our 
most unique entertainment, that there was a good deal of 
nursery imagination in Japanese J'ctcs and games. A more 
striking feature were the decorations which came with the 
second course of our feast. First came servants, bearing 
two ti^ees, one of the pine the other of the plum. The 
plum tree was In full blossom. One of these was set on a 
small table in front of Mrs. Grant, the other in front of the 
General. Another decoration was a cherry tree, surmount- 
ing a large basin, in which were living carp flsh. The carp 
has an important position in the legends of Japan. It is 
the emblem of ambition and resolution. This quality was 
shown in another decoration, representing a waterfall, with 
carp climbing against the stream. The tendency of the 
carp to dash against rocks and climb waterfalls, which 
should indicate a lower order of intellect and perverted judg- 
ment, is supposed to shuw the traits of the ambitious man. 
" The soups disappear. You see we have only had seven 



484 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

distinct soups served at intervals, and so cunningly pre- 
pared that you arc convinced that in the ancient days of 
Japanese splendor soup had a dignity which it has lost. 

" With the departure of the soups our dinner becomes 
fantastic. Perhaps the old daimios knew that by the time 
their guests had eaten of seven soups and twenty courses 
in addition, and drank of innumerable dishes of rice liquor, 
they were in a condition to require a daring flight of genius. 

" The music is in full flow, and the lights of the town 
grow brighter with the shades of darkening night, and 
some of the company have long since taken refuge from 
the dinner in cigars, and over the low brick wall and in 
the recesses of the temple grounds crowds begin to cluster 
and form, and below, at the foot of the steps, the crowd 
grows larger and larger, and you hear the buzz of the 
throng and the clinking of the lanterns of the chair bearers, 
for the whole town was in festive mood, and high up in our 
open temple on the hillside we have become a show for the 
town. Well, that is only a small return for the measure- 
less hospitality we have enjoyed, and, if we can gratify an 
innocent curiosity, let us think of so much pleasure given 
in our way through the world. It is such a relief to know 
that we have passed beyond any comprehension of our din- 
ner, which we look at as so many conceptions and prepara- 
tions — curious contrivances, which we study out as though 
they were riddles or problems adjusted for our entertain- 
ment. The dining quality vanished with that eccentric 
soup of lassfish and orange flowers. With the General it 
went much earlier. It must be said that for the General 
the table has few charms, and, long before we began on 
the skylarks and buckwheat degraded by the egg plant, he 
for whom this feast is given had taken refuge in a cigar, 
and contented himself with looking upon the beauty of 
the town and bay and cliflf, allowing the dinner to flow 
along. You will observe, if you have followed the narra- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 485 

tive of our feast, that meat plays a small and fish a large part 
in a daimios dinner — fish and the products of the forest and 
field. The red snapper has the place of honor, and, 
although we have had the snapper in five different shapes — 
as a soup, as a ragout fiavored with cabbage, broiled with 
pickled beans, and hashed — here becomes again, baked, 
decorated with ribbons, with every scale in place, folded in a 
bamboo basket. 

"As a final course, we had pears prepared with horse 
radish, a cake of wheat flour and powdered ice. The din- 
ner came to a close after a struggle of six or seven hours, 
and as we drove home through the illuminated town, bril- 
liant with lanterns and fireworks and arches and bonfires, 
it was felt that we had been honored by an entertainment 
such as we may never again expect to see." 

After having spent several days in this old town and its 
vicinity, the General and party bid adieu to the many 
friends and acquaintances, and embarked for Yokohama, 
where he was received with great and enthusiastic demon- 
strations. After a short reception to the princes, Ministers 
and high officials of the Japanese government, the General 
and party were driven to the railroad station, and at two 
o'clock the train entered the station at Tokio. An im- 
mense crowd was in waiting. As the General descended 
from the train, a committee of citizens advanced and asked 
to read an address. The following was then read in Japan- 
ese, by Mr. Fukuchi,and in English by Dr. McCartee: 

"Sir: On behalf of the people of Tokio, we beg to 
congratulate you on your safe arrival. How you crushed 
a rebellion, and afterward ruled a nation in peace and right- 
eousness, is known over the whole world, and there is not 
a man in Japan who does not admire your high character 
and illustrious career. Although the great Pacific Ocean 
stretches for thousands of miles between your country and 
ours, your people are our next neighbors in the East, and, 



486 ' GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

as it was chiefly through your initiative that we entered 
upon those relations and tliat commerce with foreigners 
which have now attained such a flourisiiing condition, our 
countrymen have always cherished a good feehng for your 
people, and look upon them more than on any other for- 
eign nation as their true friends. Moreover, it was during 
the happy times of your Presidency that the two countries 
becaine more closely acquainted and connected, and almost 
every improvement that has been made in our country may 
be traced to the example and lessons received from yours. 
For years past, not only our Minister, but any one of our 
countrymen who went to your country, was received with 
hospitality and courtesy. It is, therefore, impossible that 
our countrymen should now forbear from giving expression 
to their gratification and gratitude. 

" Your visit to our shores is one of those rare events 
that happen once in a thousand years. The citizens of 
Tokio consider it a great honor that they have been aflforded 
the opportunity of receiving you as their guest, and they 
cherish the hope that this event will still more cement the 
friendship between the two nations in the future We now 
offer you a hearty and respectful welcome. 

" The Tokio Reception Committee. 

" The 3d July, iSjgP 

General Grant said : 

" Gentlemen: I am very much obliged for this kind 
reception, and especially for your address. It affords me 
great pleasure to visit Tokio. I had been some days in 
Japan, having seen several points of interest in the interior 
and on the inland sea. I have been gratified to witness the 
prosperity and advancement of which I had heard so 
much, and in which my countrymen have taken so deep an 
interest. I am pleased to hear your kind expressions toward 
the United States. We have no sentiment there that is not 
friendly to Japan, that does not wish her prosperity and 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



.|S7 



independence, and a continuance on her part of her noble 
policy. The knowledge that your country is prosperous and 
advanciiK? is most gratifying to the people of the United 
States. It is my sincere wish that this friendship may 
never be broken. For this kind welcome to the capital of 
Japan I am again very much obliged." 

General Grant's home in Tokio was at the palace of 
Enriokwan, only a few minutes' ride from the railroad sta- 
tion. This palace was one of the homes of the Tycoon; it 
now belongs to the Emperor. If one's ideas of palaces are 
European, or even American, he will be disappointed with 
Enriokwan. One somehow associates a palace with state, 
splendor, a profusion of color and decoration, with upholstery 
and marble. There was nothing of this in Enriokwan. 
The approach to the grounds was by a dusty road that ran 
by the side of a canal. The canal was sometimes in an 
oozing condition, and boats were held in the mud. There 
is a good deal of ceremony in Enriokwan, with the constant 
coming and going of great people, and no sound is more 
familiar than the sound of the bugle. Passing a guard 
house and going down a pebbled way to a low, one-story 
building with wings, the palace of Enriokwan is reached. 
Over the door is the chrysanthemum, the Emperor's special 
flower. The main building is a series of reception rooms, 
in various styles of decoration, notably Japanese. There 
are eight different rooms in all. General Grant used the 
small room to the left of the hall. On ceremonial occasions 
he used the main saloon, which extended one-half the length 
of the palace. Here a hundred people could be entertained 
with ease. This room was a beautiful specimen of Japanese 
decorative art, and the General never became so familiar with 
it that there were not constant surprises in the way of color 
or form or design. Each of these rooms was decorated dif- 
ferently from the others. The apartments of General Grant 
and party were in one wing, the dining-room, billiard room 



^88 GENERAL U. S. grant's 

and apartments of the Japanese officials in attendance in 
another wing. Around the palace was a verandah, with 
growing flowers in profusion and swinging lanterns. The 
beauty of the palace was not in its architecture, which was 
plain and inexpressive, but in the taste which marked the 
most minute detail of decoration, and in the arrangement 
of the grounds. 

Enriokwan is an island. On one side is a canal and 
embanked walls, on the other side th^ ■ :ean. Although 
in an ancient and populous city, surroi. .ued by a teeming, 
busy metropolis, one feels as he passes uito Enriokwan that 
he is as secure as in a fortress and as secluded as in a 
forest. The grounds are large, and remarkable for the 
beauty and finish of the landscape gardening. In the art 
of gardening Japan excels the world, and the visitors had 
seen no more attractive specimen than the grounds of 
Enriokwan. Roads, flower beds, lakes, bridges, artificial 
mounds, creeks overhung with sedgy overgrowths, lawns, 
boats, bowers over which vines are trailing, summer houses, 
all combine to give comfort to Enriokwan. Sitting on 
this verandah, under the columns where the General sat 
every evening, he could look out upon a ripe and perfect 
landscape, dowered with green. If they walked into the 
grounds a few minutes they passed a gate — an inner gate, 
which was locked at night — and came to a lake, on the 
banks of which is a Japanese summer house. The lake is 
artificial, and fed from the sea. They crossed a bridge and 
came to another summer house. Here were two boats tied 
up, with the imperial chrysanthemum emblazoned on their 
bows. These are the private boats of the Emperor, and if 
they care for a pull they can row across and lose themselves 
in one of the creeks. They ascend a grassy mound, however, 
not more than forty feet high. Steps are cut in the side of 
the mound, and when they reach the summit they see beneath 
them the waves and before them the ocean. The sea at 



TOUR AROUND THE WOULD. ^So 

this point forms a bay. When tlie tides are down and the 
waves are cahm, fishermen are seen wading about, seeking 
shells and shellfish. When the tides are up, the boats sail 
near the shore, and sometimes as one is strolling under the 
trees he can look up and see through the foliage a sail fioat 
past him, firm and steady and bending to the breeze. 

The summer houses by the lake are worthy of study. 
Japan has taught the world the beauty of clean, fine grained 
natural wood, and the fallacy of glass and paint. Nothing 
could be more simple, at the same time more tasteful, than 
these summer houses. It is one room, with grooves for ? 
partition if two rooms should be needed. The floor is COV' 
ered with a fine, closely woven mat of bamboo strips. Ovei 
the mat is thrown a rug, in which black and brown pre- 
dominate. The walls looking out to the lake are a series 
of frames that can be taken out — lattice work of small 
squares, covered with paper. The celling is plain, unvar- 
nished wood. There are a few shelves, with vases, blue 
and white pottery, containing growing plants and flowers. 
There are two tables, and their only furniture a large box 
of gilded lacquer, for stationery, and a smaller one, con- 
taining cigars. These boxes are of exquisite workmanship, 
and the gold crysanthemum indicates the imperial owner- 
ship. This was a type of all the houses that were seen in 
the palace grounds, not only at Enriokwan, but elsewhere 
in Japan. It shows taste and economy. Everything about 
it was wholesome and clean, the workmanship true and 
minute, with no tawdry appliances to distract or offend the 
eye. 

The General's life in Enriokwan was very quiet. The 
weather had been such that going out during the day was 
a discomfort. During the day there were ceremonies, calls 
from Japanese and foreign ofiicials, papers to read, visits to 
make. If the evening was free, the General had a dinner 
party — sometimes small, sometimes large. One night it 



490 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



was the royal Princes, the next the Prime Ministers, on 
other evenings other Japanese of rank and station. Some- 
times he had Admiral Patterson or officers from the fleet. 
Sometimes Mr. Bingham and his family. Governor Hen- 
nessy, the British Governor of Hong Kong, was there dur- 
ing a part of his stay. General Grant was the guest of the 
Governor during his residence in Hong Kong, and formed 
a high opinion of the Governor's genius and character. 
The Governor was a frequent visitor at I5t*riokwan, and no 
man was more welcome to the General. Prince Dati, Mr. 
Yoshida, and some other Japanese officials, live at Enriok- 
wan, and formed a part of the General's family. They rep- 
resented the Emperor, and remained with the General to 
serve him, and make his stay as pleasant as possible. 
Nothing could be more considerate or courteous or hos- 
pitable than the kindness of their Japanese friends. Some- 
times they had merchants from the bazaars, with all kinds 
of curious and useful things to sell. But when Mr. Boric 
went home, the reputation of General Grant's party as pur- 
chasers of curious things fell. Sometimes a fancy for curi- 
riosities took possession of some of the party, and the result 
was an afternoon's prowl about the shops in Tokio, and 
the purchase of a sword or a spear, or a bow and arrows. 
The bazaars of Tokio teemed with beautiful works of art, 
and the temptation to go back laden with achievements in 
porcelain and lacquer was too great to be resisted, xmless 
their will was under the control of material influences too 
sordid to be dwelt upon. 

On July 8, three Princes and Princesses called at the 
palace and escorted General and Mrs. Grant to one of the 
Ministers, where a native dance was performed for their 
amusement. In the evening the grand reception, for which 
great preparations had been made, came off" at the College 
of Engineering. It was the first of three great entertain- 
ments intended to be given the General in Tokio, for which 



TOUK AROUND THK WORLD. 



491 



thirty thousand yen had been subscribed. The weather 
during the afternoon had been threatening, but, though a 
few drops of rain fell, there was not sufficient to interfere 
with the brilliant display of Japanese lamps with which 
the roadway from the Enriokwan to the college, and the 
compound of the college, was illuminated. In the com- 
pound there were six thousand lamps of variegated colors, 
the majority having the national flags of Japan and America 
painted on them. At the entrance to the main hall was an 
arch, composed entirely of lanterns, which was a mag- 
nificent spectacle. The letters " U. S. G.," in green foliage, 
were suspended in the centre, and the flags of Japan and 
America, joined together, reached from one side to the 
other. From the branches of every tree and shrub in the 
grounds hung lanterns, presenting a most unique and pic- 
turesque appearance. The hall in which the reception took 
place was a fine building, capable of holding a thousand 
or more people comfortably on the ground floor, while the 
extensive galleries would contain several hundred persons. 
A more appropriate building for the occasion could not 
have been found in Tokio. The waiting-room was com- 
modious and well filled with excellent seats, but rather 
poorly lighted. It would have been a great improvement 
if some lamps had been fixed on the walls, and thus have 
enabled visitors to distinguish their friends easily. The 
supper room was some distance away from the reception 
hall, and in another building, and the committee had pru- 
dently provided against any inclemency on the part of the 
weather by erecting a temporary roof over the whole path- 
way leading to it. As to the supper itself, little may be 
said; there was plenty of everything and everything of the 
best. Shortly after S o'clock the Governor of the Tokio 
Fu arrived in his carriage, and on alighting courteously 
saluted every individual in the waiting-room. At 9 o'clock 
General Grant, Mrs. Grant, General T. B. Van Buren, 



493 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



Admiral Patterson and several Japanese of distinction left 
theEnriokwan and arrived at the college in a quarter of an 
hour. The guest of the evening was conducted to a room 
up-stairs which had been prepared for him. By this time 
over a thousand guests had arrived, including princes of the 
blood, Ministers of the different departments, Japanese 
naval and military officers, the Foreign Ministers, officers 
from the Richmond, Monongahela and Ashuelot, and many .] 
distinguished foreigners and native citizens. Soon the ' 
secretary of the entertainment committee cleared the way, ' 
and soon afterward General Grant entered, leaning on the ^ 
arm of a Japanese official. Mrs. Grant was under the care i 
of another. The General, Mrs. Grant, Mrs. Hennessy S 
and Japanese Princesses were conducted to the far end of "a 
the room, where seats were provided. On a dais at their ^ 
backs, which was prettily ornamented with flowers and ' 
shrubs, were stationed Admiral Patterson, Captain Ben- 
ham, General Van Buren and several other personages of ^ 
note. The large hall was crowded with people of all m 
nationalties, dressed in bright and picturesque costumes, 
making as brilliant a display as any of the kind that had 
ever taken place in Tokio. 

For over half an hour General and Mrs. Grant stood 
on their feet to shake hands with and receive the greetings 
of the people of Tokio. It was warm work while it lasted. I 
The General with one hand returned the grasp of each per- j 
son as he or she passed by, and wiped the perspiration off 
his brow with the other. The reception being over, a 
move was made for the supper room, and, a short time 
afterward, General and Mrs. Grant returned to the Enriok- 
wan. Many of the guests also returned to their homes 
about the same time, but others remained to enjoy them- 
selves. The excellent imperial and military bands, which 
had been playing in the grounds all the evening, were 
brought inside and discoursed alternately. A faint attempt 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 493 

was made to get up a dance, but no spirit was displayed, 
and it was not persevered with. And so tliis entertainment 
came to an end. 

On the 9th, the General was to be received in Yoko- 
hama. During the forenoon General and Colonel Grant 
visited the military college in Tokio, and were received by 
its president. Every branch of the college was carefully 
examined, and a drill by the cadets witnessed. There were 
also present a large number of ministers, generals, council- 
lors of state, and other officials. Three members of the 
committee of entertainment of Yokohama visited the Gen- 
eral at the Enriokvvan, to conduct him to the evening train. 
Arriving at the station about nine o'clock, they were re- 
ceived by the committee and escorted to the town hall, 
where the reception was held. The principal streets were 
gaily decorated with lanterns bearing the American and 
Japanese flags, and along one side of the street leading to 
the depot were several large dashi, or festival cars, in which 
native music and pantomime were performed. The town 
hall was brilliantly illuminated, and the imperial naval band 
in attendance gave a fine selection of music. After arriving 
-at the hall, General Grant held a reception, which was fol- 
lowed by exhibitions of native dancing and acting. A well- 
. spread table supplied the inner wants of the guests. The 
party returned to Tokio by a special train. 

On the loth, General and Mrs. Grant visited the female 
normal school at Tokio, in company with the acting Min- 
ister of Education, Mr. Tanaka, Mrs. Tanaka, and several 
members of the foreign department. On arriving at the 
school, they were received by the director, Mr. Nakamura, 
who conducted his visitors to the room where the students 
were learning their lessons. The General and Mrs. Grant 
were much pleased with the arrangements, and, having 
been shown over the various apartments, took their leave 
and proceeded direct to the educational museum at Uyeno, 



494 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

where they were entertained at a banquet. On returning 
to the Enriokwan, the General walked through the Uyeno 
gardens. 

In the afternoon, a number of the reception committee 
of Yokohama visited the Enriokwan, and were received in 
the drawing-room of the palace. Admiral Patterson and 
staff, in full uniform, were present also. After presenting 
the gentlemen of the committee, General Van Buren said: 

" Genei-al Grant, the gentlemen who have just been 
presented to you are representatives of the foreign com- 
munity of Yokohama, a community composed of all nation- 
alities, and gathered from almost every clime. They have 
commissioned me to greet you in their name, and to bid 
you welcome to Yokohama whenever you are prepared to 
honor them with a visit. Thev are familiar with your his- 
tory, and believe that the eminent services you have ren- 
dered your country have, in some sense, been rendered to 
the world at large, and are entitled to a world's recognition. 
Appreciating the kind and generous hospitality extended 
to you by the government and people of Japan, the foreign 
residents of Yokohama desire an opportunity to meet you 
in person and to express to you personally their admiration 
and regard. To this end they propose to have an entertain- 
ment in the form of a garden party at such time as may 
suit your convenience, and they will be pleased to receive 
your assent to the proposition and your acceptance of this 
most cordial invitation." 

General Grant replied: "•! thank the foreign residents 
of Yokohama most cordially for their kind invitation, 
which I accept with great pleasure; but it will be impossi- 
ble for me at present to fix a positive date for the enter- 
tainment. On the 1 6th instant it is arranged that I go to the 
mountains, to be gone ten days or two weeks. I expect to 
be back in Tokio the later part of the month, after which, 
before I leave Japan, which I now think will be on the 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD, ^95 

27th of August, I am to go north to Hakodate and vicinity. 
I think it woukl be safe, therefore, to fix the first week in 
August, or such a day as you may prefer." 

The committee, after taking refreshments, were con- 
ducted about the grounds, which were in excellent order. 

The next day, the party at the palace remained quiet. 
On the 1 2th, Saturday, what may be styled the " Feast of 
Lanterns," took place on the Sumida river in Tokio, and 
was of unusual brilliancy. 

Shortly before eight o'clock, General and Mrs. Grant 
and Mr. and Mrs. Yoshida in one carnage. Colonel Giant, 
General T. B. Van Buren, Lieutenant Belknap and Mr. 
Young in another carriage, left the Enriokwan for the 
scene of festivities. Mr. Hachiska's residence on the river 
had been fitted up for the reception of the illustrious guest, 
who was met by the Japanese princes, members of the 
ministry, Mr. Mori, Hon. John A. Bingham, Miss Bmg- 
ham, Mr. and Mrs. Hennessy (the latter astonished the na- 
tives by appearing in Japanese costume, and, when asked 
why she was so dressed, replied that it was not only con- 
venient to wear Japanese clothing in hot weather, but she 
also wore it out of respect to Japan), and several others who 
were invited. In the locality of the house were several 
foreigners who had not been fortunate enough to be among 
the invited, but who were glad to have the privilege of 
obtaining a good view without being crushed in the 
crowd. 

The streets and the Riogoku-bashi were thronged with 
visitors, and it was a pretty sight when seen to advantage. 
The river was abla'ze with red and white lanterns, which, 
together with an almost incessant display of fireworks, 
formed such a brilliant spectacle as beggars description on 
paper. General and Mrs. Grant were delighted. They 
had never seen anything of the kind before, and the Gen- 



496 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

eral expressed his opinion that he never expected to see 
such an interesting and beautiful illumination again. 

At ten o'clock Mr. Hachiska's guests partook of a sump- 
tuous repast, which had been provided; shortly afterw^ard a 
terrific shower, such as occasionally bursts over this part ot 
Japan, almost totally extinguished the illumination. The 
rain poured down in torrents, so that even passengers by 
the train could not shut it out of the carriages. As for 
the immense congregation of people on the bridges and in 
the streets, they were drenched in a few seconds. A rush 
was made for shelter, but no shelter was to be found, and 
the crowd surged backward and forward in a bewildered 
state for the space of half an hour. The same state of con- 
fusion prevailed among the boats. The rain put nearly all 
lights out, boats collided one with the other, and the shouts 
of the sendoes only made "confusion worse confounded." 
When the rain ceased, the majority of speculators had had 
their ardor sufficiently dampened to induce them to make 
for their homes, as speedily as jinrikishas could take them, 
which was not very fast, certainly. Every now and then 
a whole streetful of these vehicles would be blocked up, 
unable to move for several minutes. 

About eleven o'clock General Grant and his party 
returned to the Enriokwan. 

On July 4 occurred the reception by the Emperor at his 
palace. The hour for the reception was two o'clock in the 
afternoon. General Grant invited several of his naval 
friends to accompany him. The palace of the Emperor 
was a long distance from the home of the General. Their 
drive led them through the damios quarter and through 
the gates of the city. 

The impression a foi^eigner gets ot Tokio is that it is a 
city of walls and canals. The walls are crude and solid, 
surrounded by moats. In the early days of pikemen and 
sword bearers, there could not have been a more efTective 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 497 

defense. After crossing a dozen or more bridges in the 
course of the drive to the palace of the Emperor, they ar- 
rived at a modest arched gateway. Soldiers were drawn up, 
and the band played "Hail Columbia." The carriages 
drove on past one or two modest buildings, and drew up in 
front of another modest building, on the steps of which the 
Prime Minister, Iwakaura was standing. The General and 
party descended, and were cordially welcomed and escorted 
up a narrow stairway into an ante-room. The home of the 
Emperor was as simple as that of a country gentleman at 
home. There are many countiy gentlemen with felicitous 
investments in petroleum and silver who would disdain the 
home of a prince who claims direct descent from heaven, 
and whose line extends far beyond the Christian era. 
What marked the house w^as its simplicity and taste. One 
looks for splendor, for the grand — at least the grandoise — 
for some royal whim like the holy palace near the Escu- 
rial, which cost millions, or like Versailles, whose cost is 
among the eternal mysteries. Here we are in a suite of 
plain rooms, the ceilings of wood, the walls decorated with 
natural scenery, the furniture sufficient but not crowded, 
and exquisite in style and finish. There is no pretense of 
architectural emotion. The rooms are large, airy, with a 
sense of summer about them, which grows stronger as seen 
out of the window and down the avenues of trees. The 
General was told that the grounds are spacious and fine, 
even for Japan, and that his Majesty, who rarely goes out- 
side of his palace grounds, takes what recreation he needs 
within the walls. 

The palace is a low building, one or at most two stories 
in height. They do not build high walls in Japan, and 
especially in Tokio, where earthquakes are ordinary inci- 
dents, and the first question to consider in building up is 
how far you can fall. The party entered a room where all 
the ministers were assembled. The Japanese Cabinet is a 



19^ GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

famous body, and tested by laws of physiognomy would 
compare with tliat of any cabinet ever seen. The Prime 
Minister is a striking character. He is small, slender, with 
an almost girl-like figure, delicate, clean cut, winning fea- 
tures, a face that might be that of a boy of twenty or a 
man of fifty. The Prime Minister reminded the visitors 
of Alexander H. Stephens in his frail, slender frame, but it 
bloomed with health, and lacked the sad, pathetic lines 
which tell of the years of suffering which vStephens has 
endured. The other Ministers looked like strong, able 
men. Iwakura had a striking face, with lines showing firm- 
ness and decision, and they saw the scar which marked the 
attemjDt of the assassin to cut him down and slay him, as 
Okubo, the greatest of Japanese statesmen, was slain not 
many months ago. That assassination made as deep an 
impression in Japan as the killing of Lincoln did in 
America. The spot where the murder was done was seen 
on the way to the palace, and the Japanese friend who 
pointed it out spoke in low tones of sorrow and affection, 
and said the crime there committed had been an irreparable 
loss to Japan. 

A lord in waiting, heavily braided, with a uniform that 
Louis XIV. would not have disliked in Versailles, came 
came softly in, and made a signal, leading the way. The 
General and Mrs. Grant, escorted by Mr. Bingham, and 
their retinue, followed. The General and the Minister 
were in evening dress. The naval officers were in full 
uniform. Colonel Grant wearing the uniform of Lieutenant- 
Colonel. They walked along a short passage and entered 
another room, at the farther end of which were standing 
the Emperor and Empress. Two ladies in waiting were 
near them in a sitting, what appeared to be a crouching, 
attitude. Two other princesses were standing. These 
appeared to be the only occupants of the room. The Gen- 
eral and party slowly advanced, the Japanese making a 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD, 



499 



profound obeisance, bending the bead abnost to a right 
angle with the body. The royal princes formed in line near 
the Emperor, along with the princesses. The Emperor 
stood quite motionless, apparently unobservant or uncon- 
scious of the homage that was paid him. He was a young 
man with a slender figure, taller than the average Japan- 
ese, and of about the middle height. He had a striking 
face, with a mouth and lips that reminded one somewhat of 
the traditional mouth of the Hapsburg family. The fore- 
head was full and narrow, the hair and the light mustache 
and beard intensely black. The color of the hair darkened 
what otherwise might pass for a swarthy countenance at 
home. The face expressed no feeling whatever, and but 
for the dark, glowing eye, which was bent full upon the 
General, one might have taken the Imperial group for 
statues. The Empress, at his side, wore the Japanese 
costume, rich and plain. Her face was very white, and her 
form slender and almost childlike. Her hair was combed 
plainly and braided with a gold arrow. The Emperor and 
Empress had agreeable faces, the Emperor especially show- 
ing firmness and kindness. The solemn etiquette that per- 
vaded the audience chamber was peculiar, and might 
appear strange to those familiar with the stately but cordial 
manners of a European court. But one must remember 
that the Emperor holds so high and so sacred a place in the 
traditions, the religion, and the political system of Japan, 
that even this ceremony is so far in advance of anything of 
the kind ever known in Japan that it might be called a 
revolution. The Emperor, for instance, as the group was 
formed, advanced and shook hands with the General. This 
seems a trivial thing, but such an incident was never known 
in the history of Japanese majesty. Many of these details 
may appear small, but our party were in the presence of an 
old and romantic civilization, slowly giving way to the 
fierce, feverish pressure of European ideas, and one can 



500 GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 

only note the change in those incidents wliich would be 
unnoticed in other lands. The incident of the Emperor of 
Japan advancing toward General Grant and shaking 
hands, becomes a historic event of consequence. The 
manner of the Emperor was constrained, almost awkward, 
the manner of a man doing a thing for the first time, and 
trying to do it as well as possible. After he had shaken 
hands with the General he returned to his place, and stood 
with his hand resting on his sword, looking on at the 
brilliant, embroidered, gilded company, as though uncon- 
scious of their presence. Mr. Bingham advanced and 
bowed, and x'eceived just the faintest nod in recognition. 
The other members of the party were each presented by 
the Minister, and each one, standing about a dozen feet 
from the Emperor, stood and bowed. Then the General 
and Mrs. Grant were presented to the princesses, each 
party bowing to the other in silence. The Emperor then 
made a signal to one of the noblemen, who advanced. 
The Emperor spoke to him a few moments in a low tone, 
the nobleman standing with bowed head. When the 
Emperor had finished, the nobleman advanced to the Gen- 
eral, and said he was commanded by His Majesty to read 
him the following address: 

" Your name has been known to us for a long time, and 
we are highly gratified to see you. While holding the high 
office of President of the United States you extended 
toward our countrymen especial kindness and courtesy. 
When our ambassador, Iwakura, visited the United States, 
he received the greatest kindness from you. The kindness 
thus shown by you has always been remembered by us. 
In your travels around the world you have reached this 
country, and our people of all classes feel gratified and 
happy to receive you. We trust that during your sojourn 
in our country you may find much to enjoy. It gives me 
sincere •pleasure to receive vou and we ""3 esoec:: l.y 8;rati- 



TOUR AROUND. THE WORLD. 



5"' 



fied that we have been able to do so on the anniversary of 
American independence. We congratulate you, also, on 
the occasion." 

This address was read in English. At its close, General 
Grant said: 

" Your Majesty : I am very grateful for the welcome 
you accord me here to-day, and for the great kindness with 
which I have been received, ever since I came to Japan, by 
your government and your people. I recognize in this a 
feeling of friendship toward my country. I can assure you 
that this feeling is reciprocated by the United States; that 
our peo^Dle, without regard to party, take the deepest inter- 
est in all that concerns Japan, and have the warmest wishes 
for her welfare. I am happy to be able to express that 
sentiment. America is your next neighbor, and will always 
give Japan sympathy and support in her efforts to advance. 
I again thank Your Majesty for your hospitality, and wish 
you a long and happy reign, and for your people prosperity 
and independence." 

At the conclusion of this address, which was extempore, 
the lord advanced and translated it to His Majesty. Then 
the Emperor made a sign, and said a few words to the 
nobleman. He came to the side of Mrs. Grant and said 
the Empress had commanded him to translate the following 
address : 

" I congratulate you upon your safe arrival after your 
long journey. I presume you have seen very many inter- 
esting places. I fear you will find many things uncom- 
fortable here, because the customs of the country are so 
different from other countries. I hope you will prolong 
your stay in Japan, and that the present warm days may 
occasion you no Inconvenience." 

Mrs. Grant, pausing a moment, said in a low, conversa- 
tional tone of voice, with animation and feeling: 

" I thank you very much. I have visited many coun- 



1:^02 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

tries, and have seen many beautiful places, but I have seen 
none so beautiful or so charming as Japan." 

The reception ceremonies over, our partv returned to 
their home at the palace Enriokwan. 

All day during the Fourth, visitors poured in on the 
General. The reception of so many distinguished states- 
men and officials reminded one of state occasions at the 
White House. Princes of the imperial family, princesses, 
the members of the Cabinet and citizens and high officials, 
naval officers, Ministers and Consuls, all came; and car- 
riages were constantly coming and going. In the evening 
there was a party at one of the summer gardens, given by 
the American residents in honor of the Fourth of July. 
The General an'ived at half-past eight and was presented 
to the American residents by Mr. Bingham, the Minister. 
At the close of the presentation, Mr. Bingham made a brief 
but singularly eloquent address. Standing in front of the 
General, and speaking in a low, measured tone of voice, 
scarcely above conversational pitch, the Minister, after 
words of welcome, said : 

" In common with all Americans, we are not unmindful 
that in the supreme moment of our national trials, when 
our heavens were filled with darkness, and our habitations 
were filled with dead, you stood with our defenders in the 
forefront of the conflict, and with them amid the consum- 
ing fires of battle achieved the victory w'hich brought 
deliverance to our imperiled country. To found a great 
commonwealth, or to save from overthrow a great com- 
monwealth already founded, is considered to be the greatest 
of human achievements. If it was not your good fortune to 
aid Washington, the first of Americans and the foremost 
of men, and his peerless associates, in founding the Repub- 
lic, it was given to you above all others to aid in the no 
less honorable work of saving the Republic from over- 
throw." Mr. Bingham continued his speech, saying: 



TOUI{ AROUND THE WORLD. 



503 



"Now that the sickle has fallen iVoni the pale hand of 
Death on the field of mortal combat, and the places which 
but yesterday were blackened and blasted by war have 
grown green and beautiful under the hand of peaceful toil; 
now that the Republic, one and undivided, is covered with 
the greatness of justice, protecting each by the combined 
power of all, men of every land, of every tongue; the 
world, appreciating the fact that your civic and military 
services largely contributed to these results, so essential not 
only to the interests of our own country but to the interests 
of the human race, have accorded to you such honors as 
never before within the range of authentic history have 
been given to a living, untitled and unofficial person. I 
may venture to say that this grateful recognition of your 
services will not be limited to the present generation or 
the present age, but will continue through all ages. In 
conclusion, I beg leave again to bid you welcome to Japnn, 
and to express the wish that in health and prosperity you 
may return to your native land, the land which we all love 
so well." 

In response. General Grant said : 

"Ladies and Gentlemen: I am unable to answer 
the eloquent speech of Judge Bingham, as it is in so many 
senses personal to myself. I can only thank him for his 
too flattering allusions to me personally and the duty 
devolving on me during the late war. We had a great 
war. We had a trial that, summoned forth the energies 
and patriotism of all our people — in the army alone over a 
million. In awarding credit for the success that crowned 
those efforts, there is not one in that million, not one among 
the living or the dead, who did not do his share as I did 
mine, and who does not deserve as much credit. It fell to 
my lot to command the armies. There were many others 
who could have commanded the armies better. But I did 
my best, and we all did our best, and in the fact that it was 



504 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

a struggle 011 the part of the people for the Union, for the 
country, for a country for themselves and their children, we 
have the best assurances of peace, and the best reasons for 
gratification over the result. We are strong and free 
because the people made us so. I trust we may long con- 
tinue so. I think we have no issues, no questions that need 
give us embarrassment. I look forward to peace, to gene, 
rations of peace, and with peace prosperity. I never felt 
more confident of the future of our country. It is a great 
country — a great blessing to us — and we cannot be too 
proud of it, too zealous for its honor, too anxious to develop 
its resources, and make it not only a home for our children, 
but for the worthy people of other lands. I am glad to 
meet you here, and I trust that your labors will be prosper- 
ous, and that you will return home in health and happiness. 
I trust we may all meet again at home, and be able to 
celebrate our Fourth of July as pleasantly as we do to- 
night." 

Dr. McCartee, who presided, made a short address, pro- 
posing as a toast, "The Day We Celebrate." To this 
General Van Buren made a patriotic and ringing response, 
making amusing references to Fourth of July celebrations 
at home, and paying a tribute to the character and military 
career of General Grant. General Van Buren's address 
was loudly applauded, as were also other speeches of a pat- 
riotic character. There were fireworks and feasting, and, 
after the General and Mrs. Grant retired, which they did 
at midnight, there was dancing. It was well on to the 
morning before the members of the American colony in 
Tokio grew weary of celebrating the anniversary of our 
Declaration of Independence. 

On the morning of July 7, General Grant reviewed the 
army of Japan. Great preparations had been made to 
have it in readiness, and all Tokio was out to see the 
pageant. The review of the army by the Emperor in 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



505 



itself is an event that causes a sensation. But the review 
of the army by the Emperor and the General was an event 
which had no precedent in the Japanese history. The 
hour for the review was nine, and at half past eight the 
clatter of horsemen and the sound of bugles was heard in 
the palace grounds. In a few moments the Emperor's 
state carriage drove up, the drivers in scarlet livery, and 
the panels decorated with the imperial flower, the chrysan- 
themum. General Grant entered, accompanied by Prince 
Dati, and the cavalry formed a hollow square, and their 
procession moved on to the field at a slow pace. A drive 
of twenty minutes brought them to the parade ground, a 
large open plain, the soldiers in line, and behind the soldiers 
a dense mass of people — men, women and children. As 
the General's procession slowly turned into the parade 
ground, a group of Japanese officers rode up and saluted, 
the band played "Hail Columbia," and the soldiers pre- 
sented arms. Two tents had been arranged for the recep- 
ception of the guests. In the larger of the two were 
assembled officers of state, representatives of foreign powers. 
Governor Hennessy, of Hong Kong, all in bright, glowing 
uniforms. The smaller tent was for the Emperor. When 
the General dismounted, he was met by the Minister of 
war and escorted into the smaller tent. In a few minutes 
the trumpets gave token that the Emperor was coming, and 
the band played the Japanese national air. His Majesty 
was in a state carriage, surrounded with horsemen and 
accompanied by one of his Cabinet. As the Emperor 
drove up to the tent. General Grant advanced to the car- 
riage steps and shook hands with him, and they entered and 
remained a few minutes in conversation. 

At the close of the review. General Grant and party 
drove off the ground in state, and were taken to the Shila 
palace. This palace is near the sea, and, as the grounds 
are beautiful and attractive, it was thought best that the 



5o6 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



breakfast to be given to General Grant by His Majesty 
should take place here. The Emperor received the Gen- 
eral and party in a large, plainly furnished room, and led 
the way to another room, where the table' was set. The 
decorations of the table were sumptuous and royal. Gen- 
eral Grant sat on one side of the Emperor, whose place 
was in the centre. Opposite was Mrs. Grant, who sat 
next to Prince Aringgawa, the nearest relative to the Em- 
peror, and the Commander-in-Chief of the army. The 
guests, in addition to the General's party, were as follows: 
Her Imperial Highness Princess Aimayaura, their Impe- 
rial Highnesses Prince and Princess Higashi Fushimi, Mr. 
Saujo, Prime Minister; Mr. Iwakura, Junior Prime Min- 
ister; Mr. Okunea, Finance Minister; Mr. Oki, Minister 
of Justice; Mr. Terasiihria, Minister of Foreign Affairs; 
Mr. Ite, Home Minister; Lieutenant-General Yamagata, 
Lieutenant-General Kuroda, Minister of Colonization; 
Lieutenant-General Saigo, Minister of War; Vice- Admiral 
Kawamusa, Minister of Marine; Mr. Inonye, Minister of 
Public Works; Mr. Tokadaifi, Minister of the Imperial 
Household; Mr. Mori, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs; 
Mr. Yoshida, Envoy to the United States; Mr. Sagi, Vice- 
Minister of the Imperial Household; Mr. Yoshie, Chief 
Chamberlain; Mr. Bojo, Master of Ceremonies; Prince 
Hachisuka, Prince Dati, Mr. Insanmi Naboshima, Mr. 
Bingham, and Mrs. Bingham ; Ho-a-Chang, the Chinese 
Minister; Mr. Mariano Alvaray, Spanish Charge d' Af- 
faires; Baron Rozen, Russian Charge d'Affaires; M. de 
Balloy, French Charge d'Affaires; Governor Pope Hen- 
nessy, and Mrs. Hennessy. 

The Emperor conversed a great deal with General 
Grant through Mr. Yoshida, and also Governor Hennessy. 
His Majesty expressed a desire to have a private and 
friendly conference with the General, which it was ar- 
ranged should take place after the General's return from 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 507 

Nikko. The feast lasted for a couple of hours, and the 
view from the table was charming. Beneath the window 
was a lake, and the banks were bordered with grass and 
trees. Cool winds came from the sea, and, although in the 
heart of a great capital, they were as secluded as in a forest. 
At the close of the breakfast, cigars were brought, and the 
company adjourned to another room. Mrs. Grant had a 
long conversation with the princesses, and was charmed 
with their grace, their accomplishments, their simplicity, 
and their quiet, refined Oriental beauty. At three o'clock 
the imperial party withdrew, and the guests drove home 
to their palace by the sea. 

Entertainments in honor of General Grant were con- 
stantly occupying public attention. He visited the various 
colleges, and pronounced the cadets of the military school 
as promising a body as any seen by him in Europe. He 
witnessed the annual ceremony of the opening of the 
principal river of Tokio, which consisted of a brilliant night 
congregatvjn of illuminated boats, and the most successful 
of all displays in his honor, a theatrical performance, 
especially prepared. 

On July 17, General Grant and party went to the shrine 
of lyeyasu, the founder of the great Tokugausa family, at 
Nikko, a famous and sacred resort one hundred miles in 
the interior. After spending nearly three weeks, enjoying 
a delightful time, the General returned to the capital, and 
started on a new excursion to Kamakara, the ancient seat 
of military government, and its neighborhood, and in the 
mountain range of Hakone. 

General Grant returned to Tokio, August 19th. During 
his stay at Tokio he was visited by the Mikado, who con- 
sulted on many important points of international policy, 
and to some extent of domestic policy. The confidence 
and reliance manifested by the government and people 
were unprecedented. 



^o8 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

General Grant found himself burdened with unexpect- 
ed questions in relation to Eastern policy. During his visit 
to North China both Prince Kung and the Viceroy, L. 
Hung Chang", laid before him their side of the Loochoo 
controversy, asking him to use his influence with Japan to 
prevent a serious misunderstanding between the two Em- 
pires. The General is believed to have replied that the other 
side would doubtless express themselves as strongly from 
their standpoint when heard, and, though a rupture would 
be lamented by all observers, he did not see that he had 
any right to interfere. The Japanese authorities on hearing 
this took great pains to prepare a documentary vindication 
of their claims, which was submitted for the ex-President's 
inspection by the Cabinet. This appearance of over- 
anxiety does not commend itself strongly to spectators 
generally, Japan's supremacy over the Loochoo Islands 
being so plainly defined and thoroughly established as to 
need no superfluous demonstration. But the circumstances 
are interesting as showing the weight attached to General 
Grant's influence and the favorable view taken of that 
gentleman by both governments. 

General Grant had now reached the end of his journey 
and stay in Japan. He had been nearly two months with- 
in her Empire; had witnessed the most enthusiastic and 
the most spontaneous demonstrations of his trip, from first 
to last; he had been accorded more privileges such as no 
other ruler or potentate had ever enjoyed. 

After exchanging a series of formal visits, and a delight- 
ful round of dinners, receptions and entertainments, the 
General and party embarked from Yokohama on board the 
steamer Tokio, September 3, for the United States. 
There were men-of-war of vai'ious nations in the harbor, 
each of which manned their yards and fired salutes of fare- 
well. For half an hour the bay rang with the roar of 
cannon, and was clouded with smoke. The scene was 



TOUK AROUND THE WORLD, 51I 

wonderfully grand — the roar of cannon, the clouds of 
smoke wandering off over the waters, the stately, noble 
vessels streaming with flags, the yards manned with sea- 
men, the guards on deck, the oflicers in full uniform 
gathered on the quarter-deck to salute the General as he 
passed, the music and the cheers which came from the 
ships, the crowds that clustered upon the wharfs, all formed 
a sight that once seen can never be forgotten. To the 
General and party this enthusiastic demonstration will ever 
be recalled with grateful remembrance, and was a fitting 
chmax of his now historical "tour around the world." 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



GENERAL GRANTS RETURN. 

After an absence of over two years, General Grant is 
on his way back to the United States, having sailed from 
Tokio on September 3, 1S79, and will reach San Francisco 
about the 21st. During this period he has visited almost every 
European capital, and has seen with his own eyes the peo- 
ple of every nation. Everywhere — in England, Ireland 
and Scotland, in France and German}-, Italy and Austria, 
in Switzerland, as in Sweden and Denmark, Russia and 
Egypt, as in India and Siam, China and Japan — he 
has been welcomed by rulers and people alike, in a manner 
and with a splendor and fervor of hospitality which have 
rightly been felt, by the mass of the American people, as 
not merely a compliment to the General and ex-President, 
but as a gratifying evidence of good will toward us as a 
people. It is not pleasant to reflect that, while he was thus 
received and honored abroad, here at home there have not 
)een wanting carping critics who indulged in petty fault 
inciing with his conduct, as though they were jealous of 
the honors paid him — fortunately for our credit as Ameri- 
cans, however, this carping spirit has not been general. The 
public sense of propriety has frowned it down. It would have 
been more gracious and more creditable to our people had 
there been no such criticism and fault finding. While 
General Grant was President, he was, as every man in 
public office is, the subject of comment; his acts were the 
proper objects of criticism. But when he laid down the 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 513 

presidential office and retired to private life — it has always 
been thought and held that he ceased to be, in any proper 
sense, a subject of adverse i^ublic comment. When he 
went abroad it was, as is well known, in pursuance of a 
design he had long entertained, and which he would earlier 
have accomplished had not public duties detained him at 
home. That he was received with extraordinary honors 
everywhere in Europe and Asia was due not only to the 
exalted positions he had filled, but to the world-wide ajO' 
preciation of the fact that under his skillful and vigorous 
command the greatest war of modern times had been 
brought to a successful conclusion, and the security and in- 
tegrity of the American Union assured. His reception by 
people and rulers abroad was thus a token of universal 
good will, not merely toward the Genei'al, but toward the 
nation of which he was one of the chief citizens, and it 
was not a gracious act in any American to raise his voice 
in ciiticism of General Grant or of the honors showered 
on him. 

The friends of General Grant viewed with alarm and 
disgust certain oflicious preparations ostentatiously making 
here for his welcome home. The plan of a monster excur- 
sion under the auspices of notorious politicians, when they 
were to fui'nish tickets to the Pacific coast and return for 
twenty-five dollars — fully expecting that fifty thousand 
persons would embrace the opjDortunity to witness the 
General's rece^Dtion — and the ill advised motions of other 
politicians, in the New York and Pennsylvania Legislat- 
ures, in the same direction, were in the worst possible taste; 
and it is believed that none of the real friends of General 
Grant took any part in them, but tried to discourage them 
in every way. It was as an American, and not as a Re- 
publican politician, that General Grant received his spon- 
taneous, honorable and gratifving welcome in every foreign 
land that he visited; and it is as an American, and not as 



514 GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 

a Republican politician, that we are confident he desires to 
be welcomed home. Hence, as before written, the politicians 
ought to be made to keep their hands off. Their help and 
management are not needed to secure the General a rous- 
ing and real welcome from his countrymen. Their officious 
interference, which looked as though they feared that with- 
out their manipulations the General might not be well 
received, was an offisnse to him, and, if it had been per- 
severed in, could not fail to place him in a painful and 
even ridiculous position. Commenting on this intAided 
hippodrome performance, the Utica (N. Y.) Herald said: 
'/Manufactured enthusiasm is always ridiculous; and it 
will be easy to make the reception of General Grant ridic- 
ulous in the eyes of the American people. When the late 
Secretary Seward returned from a similar trip abroad, 
where he was greeted with honors hardly less generous 
than those extended to Grant, he had a welcome to his 
home in Auburn, which made a profound impression upon 
the country, for there was visible in it the sincere personal 
esteem of his friends and neighbors, and the suspicion of 
an ulterior purpose did not enter. Somewhat similar ought 
to be the welcome extended to the first public man of the 
United States who has made the tour of the world since 
William H. Seward returned. We believe that General 
Grant himself will be least pleased with a grand reception. 
He is singularly averse to the blare and glamour of care- 
fully arranged demonstiations. Notwithstanding his 
remarkable public experiences, he has retained that sim- 
plicity of taste and habit which distinguished him in the 
days of his obscurity. He hates the formality of a demon- 
stration. He has suffered more annoyance, we dare say, 
from the excessive formality under which he has been com- 
pelled to make his travels, than from any other cause. 
He hates speech making, for he has sense enough to know 
that he is not felicitous at it. It would not be surprising if 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 515 

the ex-President's antipathy to parade led him to positively 
interdict any such uproar over his return as has been out- 
lined." 

The Cincinnati Siar said, speaking of the same sub- 
ject: "There is not the least probability that General 
Grant will end his voyage around the world by allowing 
himself to be used as a side-show to a circus on wheels. 
The cheap excursion mania is very strong among the Amer- 
ican people, whether it be to visit some flimous natural 
scenery, to attend a horse race, or see a two-headed baby; 
and a band of speculators have lately learned how to make 
money out of this tendency, in the American beehive, to 
swarm during the hot inonths of summer. It is assumed 
as quite certain that General Grant will give the cold 
shoulder to any such ovation as this contemplated, and that 
he will have both sense and mone}' enough to remain 
quietly in San Fraiicisco until the locust-like storm shall 
blow over, and the tired and disgusted excursionists seek 
their homes." 

There is not an admirer or friend of General Grant 
who wants to see the General's return made a sort of hip- 
podrome performance, exactly the reverse of the compli- 
ments paid to him abroad. The object of foreign nations 
and governments in honoring him was to j^ay a compli- 
ment to the American people, whom he in a certain sense 
represented; but the object of this excursion, and of the 
more recent political movements in legislature, was only to 
glorify him as a party man, and a possilile party candidate; 
and to place him under obligation beforehand to the poli- 
titians who would rush forward to capture him as he 
landed; and to exhibit him through the country as their 
prey, in a manner which would leave the managers open to 
ridicule and make a burlesque of his whole journey. 

There was really no danger or fear that the General's 
real and respectable friends would allow him to become a 



5l6 GENERAL U. S. GRANt'S 

victim of such people. That he will receive a warm and 
universal welcome from his countrymen there is no doubt, 
and he deserves it; but it will not be managed by self-seek- 
ing and designing politicians. It will be a spontaneous, 
hearty, unsolicited welcome from the American people. 
His friends would prefer to see him make the journey from 
the Pacific shores to his home in Philadelphia, as he will, 
doubtless, prefer himself, with entire avoidance of ostenta- 
tion, like a great and eminent, but nevertheless a plain, 
citizen returning to his native land after a visit to foreign 
countries. It would be ungracious in him to deny his fel- 
low-citizens a sight of him, and he has now come to that 
age where traveling by easy stages, instead of rushing 
through on lightning express, is for his comfort and that 
of ]Mrs. Grant. He will find in the principal Western 
cities many of his old, personal friends, who will desire to 
once more shake his hand. In a natural way — without 
the distasteful management of tricksters and politicians — 
the General can see and be seen by the greater part of the 
country, and he will receive everywhere the warmest wel- 
come an admiring and hospitable people can give him. No 
sensible man doubts that General Grant's name and fame 
are dear to every true American, or that he ranks in all 
hearts as the foremost American citizen of the day. His 
great and long services to the Union have secured to him 
the lasting, and indeed the increasing, gratitude and admi- 
ration of the people. His sterling qualities of honesty and 
clear 'common sense; his patriotic love for his country's 
welfare, and desire for the success of our institutions; his 
severe and arduous, and often thankless public service; the 
pathetic manner in which, on several occasions, he has pub- 
licly confessed his mistakes while asserting his good inten- 
tions; — all these are known to and valued by the people, 
and it is a sure evidence that, though he was, while Presi- 
dent, the subject of hostile and often acrimonious criticism, 



TOUR AROUND THE WORI.D. 



5'7 



I 



no sooner did he leave the (to him) unhappy jDohtics, than 
all ill-will disappeared, and iie resumed, as of right, his 
high place in' the affectionate regards of his fellow-citizens, 
without regard to party. He returns home from a long 
journey in foreign parts, at every stage of which the hon- 
ors which have been paid him by eminent persons of all 
classes have been watched with pleasure by the whole 
American people; but the most distinguished honors of his 
life remain, and will be found in the sjDontaneous welcome 
home of his fellow-citizens. To them, now, he occupies 
a quite peculiar position ; for, whatever designing politicians 
may propose, to the peojDle he is a citizen who has hon- 
orably and laboriously fulfilled his term of faithful joubllc 
service, and whom, for the rest of his life, they will regard, 
not as a partisan, not as the candidate of or even a mem- 
ber of a party, but as one raised above party, and who, liv- 
ing in such privacy as such eminence as his can secure, vi'Ill 
be, while he lives, the trusted adviser of all administra- 
tions. As a private citizen, the most illustrious and the 
most trusted of the Republic, he will rise constantly higher 
in the general esteem and affection, and it will be the de- 
light of all Americans to guard and honor his declining 
years. But to re-enter now the arena of partisan politics 
would be to imperil his great reputation; to weaken the 
hold he has on the hearts of the people; to descend to the 
level of common men — a descent into the mire from an 
elevation rarely attained by any man in history. Those 
who would tempt him to his fiill are not his friends, but his 
worst and most dangerous enemies. 

The recent statement made by Rear Admiral Ammen in 
regard to General Grant's intentions for the future definitely 
removes the latter from the political field. Admiral 
Ammen's statement is entitled to much reliance for several 
reasons. The Admiral himself is a man of high character, 
who would not make so Important an assertion without 



51 S GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

considering himself sure of the facts; he has been on terms 
of close personal intimacy with Grant during life; the 
circumstances related by the Admiral bear internal evidence 
of the correctness of his conclusion; and, finally, General 
Grant's disinclination to be a " third-term " candidate for 
the Presidency is confirmed by others in a position to know 
his sentiments. Among the evidences of this determination 
is General Grant's reply to Li Hung Chang, the Viceroy 
of Tientsin, when the latter expressed the hope that his 
visitor would again become President of the United States. 
Grant's words on that occasion were as follows: 

" Your Excellency is very kind, but there could be no 
wish more distateful to me than what you express. I have 
held the office of President as long as it has ever been held 
by any man. There are others who have risen to great dis- 
tinction at home, and who have earned the honor, who are 
worthy, and to them it belongs,- and not to me. I have no 
claims to the office. It is a place distasteful to me, a place 
of hardship and responsibilities. When I was a younger 
man these hardships were severe and never agreeable. 
They would be worse now. No man who knows what 
the Presidency imposes would care to see a friend in the 
office. I have had my share of it, — have had all the hon- 
ors that can be or should be given to any citizen, and there 
are many able and distinguished men who have earned the 
office. To one of them it should be given." 

General Grant could not have chosen language more 
emphatically declaring his disinclination to be a candidate 
without being actually offensive to the American people, 
and there is no reason why his word shoulil not be accepted 
as honestly conveying the meaning which they imply. 

The Hon. E. B. Washburne has also conti-ibuted addi- 
tional confirmation of Grant's purpose through a private 
letter from Grant, written still more recentlv, in which the 
latter declares that he cannot conceive any possible circum- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



519 



stances which could induce him to consent to be a candi- 
date. Both General Grant's best friends and his most 
uncompromising opponents accept the declination as final; 
among the former may be classed Mr George W. Chiids, 
of Philadelphia, and among the latter Mr. Murat Halstead, 
of Cincinnati. Mr. Chiids says that Grant's recent de- 
clarations comport with his private utterances several months 
ago, and he has no doubt that they express Grant's real 
sentiments. Mr. Halstead also reports Grant as talking in 
the same way when both were in Paris, and he believes 
the ex-President to be sincere. Indeed, there is no doubt 
that Grant has repeatedly given expression to his desire 
and purpose to retire from public life, and there is no good 
reason to discredit his sincerity. Admiral Ammen affirms 
positively that the General will take the Presidency of the 
American Nicaragua Inter-Ocean Canal Company, and 
devote his energy and ability to the construction of the 
highly important international work for which that com- 
pany is to be organized. 

The story of General Grant's active personal interest in 
the Nicaragua International Canal scheme may be briefly 
restated as follows: 

He was educated at West Point as a military and civil 
engineer. When he became President, he set about to de- 
termine for himself the best route for a water connection 
between the Atlantic and Pacific, and to that end dis2:>atched 
at different times several officers of the army and navy to 
examine the several proposed routes. His investigation led 
him to the conviction that the Nicaragua Ship Canal will 
be the most desirable for American interests. The San 
Juan River, connecting with the Nicaragua Lake, furnishes 
a natural water route most of the way across the isthmus, 
and there will be only a strip on the west side of some 
seven or eight miles wide to cut through. These conditions 
will render the work far cheaper than the proposed deep- 



520 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

cut canal upon a level with the sea across Panama. The 
Nicaragua route also saves some seven hundred or eight 
hundred miles of ocean travel as far as American ships are 
concerned — about three hundred miles on the Atlantic and 
four hundred or five hundred miles on the Pacific in going 
from an American Atlantic port to a Pacific port, or to 
Chma or Jap:ui. The fact that the Nicaragua route will 
be longer than the Panama route is more than offset by the 
saving in time and cost by the reduced ocean voyage. 
General Grant's convictions in the matter were strength- 
ened by the information he obtained during his European 
tour. At the conclusion of the Paris conference on the 
Isthmus Canal, Admiral Ammen wrote to General Grant 
a clear statement of the case, urging him to consent to serve 
as President ot an American company for the Nicaragua 
route. In the same inclosure, Ammen sent Grant a letter 
he had received from an American politician, insisting that 
Grant must hold himself free to run as the Republican can- 
didate for President, and also his (Ammen's) reply to that 
letter, in which the position was taken that Grant's services 
in the army and as President should exempt him from any 
further demands on the part of the public. About the time 
Grant had received these letters, he had the interview with 
the Viceroy of Tientsin, in which he stated empliatically 
that he would not again be a candidate for the Presidency 
of the United States, and shortly after he telegraphed 
Admiral Ammen the two words, " I approve." Admiral 
Ammen adds: 

" These letters are of a private character, and I do not 
desire that they should go out to the public for the present. 
It is hardly necessary for me to assure you that the enter- 
prise is in the hands of men whose reputation is unques- 
tioned, and whose interest in promoting the work will be 
greatly increased now that they know that General Grant 
is committed to its success. You know my views on this 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 52 I 

subject. They were made i)uhlic throu<][h my letter to the 
Secretary of State a month ago. It woukl not be 
proper for me to enter into details regarding the organiza- 
tion just at present. I may say, now that General Grant's 
wishes arc known or will be known when the facts I have 
given you are made public, that a new company will be 
rapidly formed in this country which will include in its 
ranks the leading capitalists of our own and European 
nations, whose purpose will be to construct the inter- 
oceanic canal under the leadership of General Grant." 

On the Sth of September, Admiral Ammen received a 
letter from General Grant in reply to his letter of July 2, 
in which the Admiral urged upon his friend the importance 
of allowing the use of his name as one of the corjDorators 
for an inter-oceanic canal company via Nicaragua, and, if 
elected by the corporators, to assent to the proposition to 
serve as president of the campany. Deeming it ii^.iportant 
to hear from General Grant at the earliest moment, he 
suggested that if the proposition met his approbation he 
should telegraph " I approve." General Grant acknowl- 
edges the receipt of the letter, and states that on August 7 
he telegraphed as suggested, in order that it might be a 
sufficient basis for Admiral Ammen to take the preliminary 
steps for the beginning of a movement which would effect 
an organization for the building of a canal. He then adds 
that he has given the subject serious consideration, and after 
two days' deliberation he is fully convinced of the impor- 
tance of acting in the matter promptly. He is of the 
opinion that great care should be exercised in the formation 
of the company, and, when properly organized, the neces- 
sary steps should be had to secure from the Nicaraguan 
Government such concessions as will make the undertaking 
a practical business scheme. When these are secured he 
would be glad of the opportunity to devote his attention to 
the work, and would accept the Presidency of the Com- 



523 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

pany with the determination to accomplish the task, and 
to that end would exert himself to push the work as rapidly 
as the surveys and engineering skill of his assistants would 
permit. The letter merely repeats what the General has 
frequently said to Admiral Ammen upon the importance 
of obtaining the most favorable concessions from the 
Nicaraguan Government, in order that the enterprise might 
enlist capital and secure the protection of the United States. 
He makes no allusion to politics whatever in this letter. 

He expects to reach San Francisco some time in Sep- 
tember, and be in Philadelphia in November, when the 
business matter can be talked over leisurely, and definite 
arrangements made for inaugurating the company. 

Exceptions have been taken to the statement made, 
that the quiet purpose General Grant had in view during 
his tour through Europe was to learn for himself what 
encouragement the construction of an inter-oceanic canal 
would receive from European capitalists, if the enterprise 
were in American hands. That statement was based upon 
the correspondence which General Grant had with a prom- 
inent officer of our army, and to whom he wrote fully from 
time to time during his stay in Europe as to what he heard 
and learned on the subject. In addition to this, just before 
he left the United States, he had a long interview with 
President Hayes, which was wholly devoted to this inter- 
oceanic canal project. He explained to his successor his 
personal interest in the scheme, and all he had done during 
his administration to forward the surveys. He regretted 
that he had not been able to accomplish more than to finish 
the numerous surveys, but thought that this perfect work 
was a great step in the direction of settling the route to be 
chosen, and that he was satisfied that the Nicaragua liiTc was 
the feasible one ujDon which to build the canal. He com- 
mended Admiral Ammen's interest in the project, and told 
the President that he had recalled him from a foreign sta- 



TOUR AROirNn TIIK WORLD. 



c ^ ^ 



tion and appointed him chief of the Bureau of Navigation in 
the navy department, that he might be in a position where 
he could give his zeal unlimited sway in furlnering the am- 
bition of both the Admiral and himself, which was to deter- 
mine accurately and as speedily as: possible the best route 
by which the two oceans could be connected for the pur- 
pose of commerce. He regretted that he had not been able 
to do more, but was glad that so much had been accom- 
plished as would enable President Haves to take up the 
subject in a manner that warranted the hope that, durino- 
his term of office, something would be done to practically 
utilize the labor of our surveying parties. He explained 
his reasons for wishing to impress upon President Hayes 
his great interest in the subject, and added that he should 
not lose sight of it during his travels in Europe. He was 
confident that his experience abroad would only confirm 
the belief that this great project should be distinctly Amer- 
ican, and would have to be undertaken by American engi- 
neers. So favorably did the President receive the views of 
General Grant, that, when the news came of the decision 
of the Paris Congress, he was prepared to reiterate the 
idea of the General, that an inter-oceanic canal must be an 
American project and carried out by American enterprise, 
expanding the Monroe doctrine in a broader sense than had 
ever been thought of by President Monroe or John Quincy 
Adams, who is credited with having originated it. 

In explanation of the apparent neglect of the matter, 
President Hayes said that he was expecting, from time to 
time, to hear of the results which General Grant would 
develop in his visit to Europe. One of the results un- 
doubtedly was the necessity which the French engineers 
saw they were under to anticipate the American plan, by 
calling a congress, and determining before its meeting to 
select another route. Then came the invitations to our 
20 



524 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

Government to send delegates to the Paris Congress. The 
matter was officially considered by the Cabinet, and it was 
deemed advisable not to send delegates, but to have repre- 
sentatives, who should merely set forth the work already 
accomplished, and the conclusions formed by the Commis- 
sion appointed during President Grant's administration 
upon the practicability of the Nicaragua route. It was 
argued that, if we sent delegates, our Government would 
be held by the decision of the Congress, which was to be 
avoided under all circumstances, and therefore they should 
not go in an official capacity. Time was consumed before 
the Congress met, and then followed Rear- Admiral Am- 
men's prompt action in acquainting General Grant with 
the exact situation of affijirs, and the importance of secur- 
ing his co-operation. " In other words," said President 
Hayes, " we have waited patiently for the time to come 
when General Grant would give shape to this project, and 
now we are prepared to do everything in our power to 
promote its success." 

It is not surprising that General Grant has determined 
not to re-enter American political life. A man who has 
had so brilliant and successful a career as he has had must 
have an ambition to preserve it for history, and it would be 
a hazardous experiment to resume public responsibilities. 
Giant has the good judgment to understand this, nncl the 
poise and self-control to act upon it. He is now . the 
"Great Undefeated"; a campaign for a third term might 
hand his name down to posterity as the " Great Defeated." 

The Nicaragua International project opens to him a 
field worthy of his ability. His name and energy will en- 
list the necessary capital and influence to give the Ameri- 
cans the control of the inter-oceanic route, and the 
completion of such a scheme, shortening the route between 
the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and between Europe and 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 525 

the Indies, by several thousand miles, will be an undertak- 
ing in whicn an ex-President of the United States may 
engage with credit to himself and honor to his country. 

There is reason both to commend and to congratulate 
General Grant upon the stand he has taken. His fame is 
as radiant now as it ever can be, unless some new danger 
shall threaten the Republic during his life, and in that case 
the i\merican people will turn to him with such unanimity 
and confidence that he will be in no doubt as to his duty. 

The reception of General Grant upon his arrival on our 
shores promises to be a magnificent ovation, a spontaneous 
and enthusiastic reception by the people of California, 
without distinction of party. Our record would be incom- 
plete without giving aii account of the preparations in 
progress. 

Mayor Bryant, of San Francisco, in compliance with 
the clearly expressed sentiment of the citizens of that city, 
has named a number of the prominent citizens to confer 
with the Board of Supervisors wMth a view of making 
preparations for a suitable reception to General Grant. 
The names chosen by the ]Mayor in this connection repie- 
sent every shade of political opinion, as was fitting in 
arranging for a demonstration which is neither democratic 
nor republican in its character, but purely national and 
patriotic. The list embraces men of all parties — George 
C. Perkins, Samuel Wilson, W. PI. L. Barnes, M. S. La- 
tham, Horace Davis, Eugene Casserly and John H. Wise. 
Here we have republicans and democrats, men who stood 
up for the North during the civil war, and men who hon- 
estly sympathized with the Confederate cause. Yet now 
they are all willing to ignore political difTerences, and old 
party feuds, and to unite in doing honor to a distinguished 
American citizen, whose name is identified with the history 
of his country, and whose character and career are a part 
of her historical treasures. As is eminently fitting on such 



^30 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

an occasion, all petty political animosities disappear for the 
time, and the most eminent citizens of San Fiancisco, with- 
out distinction of party, will unite in paying honor to their 
distinguished guest. 

The watch for the steamer Tokio, at the Cliff House, 
will, upon sighting the masts of the steamer, flash the in- 
telligence in every direction. 

Gradually the demonstration undertaken by the citizens 
of San Francisco, in honor of General Grant, has swelled 
into proportions far beyond all original expectations. What 
was designed at the outset to be a welcome by the people 
of that city has developed into a grand ovation by the 
people of the State of California. Deputations from Oak- 
land, Sacramento, San Jose, Vallejo, Petaluma, the far-off 
orange groves of Los Angeles, and a hundred other cities 
and towns all over the State, and even from some beyond 
the boundaries of California, will join in the demonstration. 

The preparations for the event have been upon such a 
scale of magnificence as will throw all previous celebra- 
tions, not excepting that of the Centennial of American 
Independence, into the shade. The unanimity of feeling 
and sentiment that is manifested by all classes of the com- 
munity, without regard to differences of political opinion 
or social condition, is something amazing, and altogether 
unprecedented. The soldiers who fought for the Union, 
and those who upheld the cause of the Confederacy, will 
march side by side in the procession in honor of the man 
of whom General Lee said : " I have no hesitation in de- 
claring that, both as a gentleman and an organizer of victo- 
rious war, General Grant hath excelled all your most noted 
soldiers. He has exhibited more real greatness of mind, 
more consummate prudence from the outset, more heroic 
bravery, than anyone on your side." 

A telegram from San Francisco, dated September i8, 
says: 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 527 

" The preparations are now complete. All the neces- 
sary arrangements are perfected, and everything is ready 
for tlie reception of the illustrious guest." 

The following is a summary of what may be expected 
upon the arrival of the Tokio, as telegraphed from San 
Francisco: 

When the City of Tokio appears in the offing, she 
will first be signaled from Point Labos to the Merchant's 
Exchange, whence the news will be disseminated. The 
Bell Telephone Company and the American District Tele- 
graph Company will be notified, and they will inform all 
their stations, and the individuals with whom they are con- 
nected, and the flag on the Exchange Building will be 
hoisted at once, and a line of flags stretched from the staff 
to the front and rear of the roof. The officer at Point 
Labos will l^oist a designated signal, thereby informing the 
commander of Fort Point, and also communicate with the 
Merchants' Exchange, and Captain Low, who is in charge at 
the Fort, will hoist the American flag and also use signals. 
Alcatraz and Angel Island will be signaled from Fort 
Point, if necessary. 

Signal guns will be fired from the Fort Alcatraz and 
Angel Island from the time of sighting the steamer, and 
national salutes when the Tokio passes from the upper and 
lower Casemate Batteries at the Fort Point, Alcatraz imd 
Angel Island. 

As soon as the news is received at the Merchants' 
Exchange, eleven taps will be given three times, with due 
intervals, from all the fire alarm bells in the city. Church 
bells will be rung, and there will be the blowing of steam 
whistles at discretion. As soon as the Tokio is sighted, 
the Committee of Reception, with Jesse Grant and Mr. 
Dent, will go on board the Millen Griffiths and meet her 
as far out as possible, to notify General Grant of the prepa- 
rations being made to welcome him. If necessary, they 



528 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

will detain the Tokio until the marine procession can be 
duly formed. Two hours will be allowed after the first 
signal for the starting of the barge steamers of the escort. 

The China will leave the Pacific Mail Steamship 
Company's dock, and returning, disembark her passengers 
there. The St. Paul and Ancon will leave from the foot 
of Broadway. Much criticism has been excited by the 
arrangement for towing the yachts, which, as they are the 
most picturesque craft on the bay, will scarcely be rigidly 
adhered to. 

The Tokio will proceed to her anchorage just south 
of the usual line of the Bakland Ferry. 

As soon as convenient after the first signal, the Execu- 
tive Committee will meet Mayor Bryant in parlor 160, 
Palace Hotel, wearing red, white and blue rosettes, and in 
the dress already specified. From the hotel they will take 
carriages to the ferry steamer. City of Oakland, which will 
convey them to the Tokio as soon as sufficient time has 
elapsed for the St. Paul, China, Ancon and other steamers 
to have disembarked their passengers, who will take their 
proper places in the procession. 

The Oakland will run alongside the Tokio, and 
General Grant and suite will be transferred to her. Mayor 
Bryant will deliver his brief speech of welcome. General 
Grant will reply. Introductions will be in order, and the 
guest and committee will land and take their places in car- 
riages at the head of the procession. 

Dennis Kearney, the "sand-lots" braggart, proposed, 
in one of his violent, intemperate speeches to the working- 
men of San Francisco, to burn General Grant in effigy. 
Just why this agitator wished to burn the General in efligy 
is not plain. Referring to this subject, the Chicago Inter 
Ocean says: 

" In 1861 General Grant was a wnrkingm:in at Galena, 
in this State. He offered his services to the Governor of 



TOITR AROITXP THE WORLD. 



529 



Illinois in any capacity where lie might he useful, and his 
offer was accepted. Through the long years that followed, 
the Galena workingman maintained a modest bearing, and 
never boasted of his deeds or selfishly obtruded himself 
upon the public. He became the foremost man of the age, 
the most remarkable soldier of modern times, the twice- 
chosen President of a great nation, and the honored guest 
of almost every government on earth; but still his modesty 
did not forsake him, and he never for a moment forgot 
that his country was a republic and that he was a citizen 
of that republic. 

" He is now returning from his long absence abroad, 
and will soon land upon the shores of the country he did 
so much to save. The people with almost one accord 
desire to do him honor; but Dennis Kearney proposes to 
insult him and insult them by a public indignity at the 
place where General Grant disembarks, and on the day of 
his arrival. 

" There are some things that try the patience of a law- 
abiding people very sorely, and this is one of them. We 
do not know where Mr. Kearney was during our long 
struggle for national life, or what his services were; but 
we take it for granted that they were hardly superior to 
those of General Grant, and that the people of San Fran- 
cisco ought to be able to express their gratitude and admi- 
ration for a great soldier, a former comrade, and an ex- 
President of the republic, without meeting insult from 
Kearney or his followers. San Francisco but voices the 
feeling of the nation in extending its welcome to General 
Grant, and the insult which Dennis Kearney contemplates 
is an insult to the country which protects his own carcass 
from violence, which shields him in his freedom of speech 
and which makes it possible for him to threaten this indig- 
nity without being kicked into the Bay of San Francisco. 



5^'^ 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



We hope Mr. Kearney will think better of his propo- 
sition, and abandon it. If he does not, the cause which he 
advocates will receive a blow in this country from which 
it will not soon recover. The workingmen of Chicago, 
who believe in the right of Americans to welcome a dis- 
tinguished citizen without a joublic insult of this character, 
shoidd meet and promptly denounce the proposed out- 
rage." 

It is not believed that this silly threat will be carried 
out, or that any one will dare attempt to carry it out. 
Even the most rash and infatuated of his deluded followers 
must realize by this time that Dennis perpetrated a mon- 
strous blunder when he indulged in that outrageous and 
disgusting menace. There has never been in San Fran- 
cisco a more unanimous and overwhelming manifestation 
of popular indignation than that which has been caused by 
Kearney's infamous threat. A New York Herald dis- 
patch of September 14th, says: 

" On the sand-lots, where Kearney belched forth the 
braggart threat that he would burn General Grant in effigy, 
Confederate and Federal will meet and salute the honored 
citizen, and in that ninnber will be many workingmen them- 
selves who have listened to Kearney for the last time. Nu- 
merous rumors are abroad about the workingmen's party de- 
manding Kearney's abdication. To-day, Wallock, the for- 
mer Vice-President of the party, tried to pass resolutions 
pledging the workingmen to unite with all loyal citizens 
in demonstrations to the honor of General Grant, but 
Kearney opposed them in a violent sjoeech, still evincing 
his cowardice over the effigy business, yet without manli- 
ness enough to avow his folly. It has, however, been de- 
monstrated at the sand-lots, to-day, that Kearney has given 
himself his death wound. San Francisco has wiped out 
the reproach of Kearneyism." 



TOUK AKOUNU THE WOULD, 5^1 

The wisest thing whieh the saiid-lut agitator will do 
will be to get out of town and hide himself away in some 
rural seclusion, until the storm which he has evoked by his 
rashness and folly shall have passed over. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 



ARRIVAL OF GENERAL GRANT. 

The steamer City of Tokio, in which General Grant 
embarked for his homeward voyage, arrived in the harbor 
of San Francisco on Saturday evening, September 20. 
The long-expectant people of San Francisco had been for 
some days prepared to give a suitable welcome to the illus- 
trious soldier, statesman and traveler, who, though a simple 
citizen, occupies a larger space in the world's regard than 
the proudest contemporary heirs of ancient thrones. The 
General's arrival at San Francisco completes his journey 
" around the world." In San Francisco the excitement 
over his coming reached fever heat, and the reception 
given .him was on a scale of magnificence never before 
seen in this country. 

Every one, during the forenoon of Saturday,, was on 
the tip-toe of expectation over his arrival. The city was 
densely crowded, especially the hotels. As the Tokio did 
not arrive early in the day, it was generally believed that 
the General would not arrive before Sunday. The Re- 
ception Committee were discussing the propriety of post- 
poning the reception luitil Monday, when, at a signal given 
by the fire brigade that the City of Tokio was sighted, the 
fire bells rang, whistles sounded, and the thunder of cannon 
reverberated over the hills and harbor, and a general uproar 
was created. 

Every kind of business was suspended, and jieople 
|)()urcd fijrth in such numbers that \n a few minutes the 

53-^ 




GENKRAL ULYSSES S. GRANT 

.KOM A PhOTOGKAPH TAKEX IV SaN FkaNCISCO, ,MMEmA;ALY fPOX HIS ReTCRX 



BY I. AV. Faber. 



I 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



535 



streets were densely crowded with citizens flocking toward 
the ferry down Market street. The sun was shining brill- 
iantly, and the efTcct upon the decorated buildings, arches 
ami flags was very fine. The utmost good humor pre- 
vailed; and, as evening approached, the streets were lined 
with people, and business wholly suspended, and the city 
turned out. 

Immediately on receipt of the intelligence that the 
steamer City of Tokio was nearing port, the Reception 
Committee, consisting of Frank M. Pixley, ex-Senator 
Cole, General Miller and R. B. Cornwall, repaired to the 
tug Millen Griffith, lying with steam up at the Pacific Mail 
dock, and at once started to meet the incoming steamer. 
The Millen Griffith stood well out to sea, and several miles 
outside the Heads met the City of Tokio coming in. The 
tug drew alongside, and the Executive Committee, quar- 
antine officer and customs officials and a number of repre- 
sentatives of the press, boarded the steamer. No ceremony 
was observed, except a general shaking of hands, and after 
the committee had announced the object of their visit, and 
informed General Grant of the reception prepared for him, 
ihe conversation became general, as the City of Tokio 
continued on her course. Soon after the government 
steamer McPherson came alongside, and Major-General 
McDowell, commanding the Division of the Pacific, ac- 
companied by his staff", boarded the Tokio and rejoined his 
old comrade in arms. 

While this wa^ transpiring the general Committee of 
Anangements, with several thousand invited guests, assem- 
bled on board the large side-wheel Pacific Mail steamer 
China, and a number of smaller steamers, while tugs took 
squadrons of the San Francisco yacht clubs in tow and 
started down the channel. 

In the meantime it seemed as though the whole popu- 
lation of the city — men, women and children — had sought 



536 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



positions from which a view of tlie naval pageant could be 
obtained. Every eminence commanding the channel was 
black with assembled thousands. Telegraph Hill was a 
living mass of human bodies, and the heights beyond Pre- 
sidio, the Clay street hill, the sea wall at North Point, and 
every pier-head, were covered with spectators. 

The sun was declining in the west as the steamers and 
yachts, gay with bunting, moved down the channel. Low 
clouds hung along the western horizon. Mount I'amauli- 
pas and the distant mountains north of the bay were veiled 
in a mist, and Mission Hill and the seaward heights of the 
peninsula were shrouded in a fog, but the channel was un- 
obstructed, and the bold outlines of the Golden Gate rose 
sharply against the sky, while the bay itself, with the 
islands and shores of Alameda and Contra Costa were 
bathed m sunlight. From every flagstaff in the city flags 
were flying, and the shipping along the city front was 
brilliantly decked with ensigns, festooned flags and stream- 
ei's. The impatient crowds that covered the hilltops stood 
straining their eyes to catch the first glimpse of the Tokio. 
A hundred times the cry was raised, " There she comes," 
as chance arrivals came in view between the Heads. 

It was half-past five o'clock when a puff of white 
smoke from seaward, from off the earth-works back of and 
above Fort Point, and the booming of a heavy gun, an- 
nounced that the steamer was near at hand. Another and 
another followed in rapid succession. Fort Point next 
joined in the cannonade, firing with both casemate and 
barbette guns, and the battery at Lime Point added its 
thunders to the voice of welcome. In a few moments the 
entrance to the harbor was veiled in wreaths of smoke, 
and as the batteries of Angel Island, Black Point and Al- 
catraz opened fire in succession, the whole channel was 
soon shrouded in clouds from their rapid discharges. For 
some time the position of the approaching ship could not 



TOUR AROlTxo TH7-: WOULD. 



537 



be discovered, but shortly before six o'clock the outlines of 
the huge hull of the City of Tokio loomed through the 
obscurity of smoke and rapidly approaching shades of 
evening, lit up by the flashes of guns, and in a few 
moments she glided into full view, surrounded by a fleet 
of steamers and tugs, gay with flags and crowded with 
guests, while the yacht squadron brought up the rear, 
festooned from deck to truck with brilliant bunting. Cheer 
after cheer burst from the assembled thousands as the ves- 
sels slowly rounded Telegraph Hill, and were taken up by 
the crowds on the wharves and rolled around the city 
front, hats and handkerchiefs being waived in the air. The 
United States steamer Monterey, lying in the stream, added 
the roar of her guns to the general welcome, and the 
screaming of hundreds of steam whistles announced that 
the City of Tokio had reached her anchorage. 

The crowds that had assembled on the hills and along 
the city, now, with a common impulse, began to pour along 
toward the ferry landing at the foot of Market street, 
where General Grant was to land. The sidewalks were 
blocked with hurrying pedestrians, and the streets with 
carriages conveying the committees. The steamers and 
yachts made haste to land their passengers, and in a few 
minutes the vicinity of the ferry landing was literally 
jammed with people, extending for blocks along Market 
street and the water front just in front ot the landing, the 
entrances to which were closed and guarded. A space was 
cleared by the police and marshals, into which hundreds of 
carriages for use of the guests were crowded, and outside 
of that space line after line of troops and civic organiza- 
tions were ranged, while the outside constantly increasing 
throng surged and pressed, excited and enthusiastic, cheer- 
ing at intervals, and waiting impatiently for a first glimpse 
at the city's honored guest. Within the gates of the ferry- 
house were assembled the gentlemen charged with the duty 



53^ 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



of the immediate reception of General Grant, the Board 
of Supervisors ranged on the left of the gangway, and 
Governor Irwin and staff, and the Executive Committee, 
consisting of Governor-elect Perkins, W. H. L. Barnes, 
Samuel Wilson, William T. Coleman, Tiburcio Parrott, 
J. P. Jackson, John McComb, John Rosenfeld, Claus 
Spreckels, John H. Wise, W. W. Montegu, occupied the 
right. Mayor Bryant taking his position about half way 
down the center of the gangway. 

About seven o'clock General Grant landed from the 
ferryboat Oakland, according to arrangement. As soon as 
the General stepped from the ferry, leaning upon the arm 
of General John F. Miller, he was introduced to Mayor 
Bryant. 

The Mayor, after acknowledging the introduction, 
addressed General Grant as follows: 

"General Grant: As Ma^'or of the city of San 
Francisco, I have the honor and pleasure to welcome you 
on your return to your native country. Some time has 
passed since you departed from the Atlantic shore to seek 
the relief which a long period in your country's service 
had made necessary, but during this absence the people of 
the United States have not forgotten you. They have read 
with intense interest the accounts of your voyage by sea 
and your travels by land around the world, and they have 
observed with great pleasure the honors you have received 
in the different countries which you have visited, and the 
universal recognitio-n which your brilliantcareer as a soldier 
and American citizen has obtained. They have felt proud 
of you, and, at the same time, of their country, which you 
have so fully represented. And now, sir, you are again on 
your native soil, and the thousands who here greet you re- 
member that your home was once in this city. This bay, 
these hills, the pleasant homes about us, are familiar to you. 
Great changes, it is true, have taken place. The young 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



539 



city is now the rival of cities which were old when its 
history began. But the men to whom this marvelous pros- 
perity is due were in those early days your personal associates 
and friends, and many of them are here to-day, waiting anx- 
iously to take you by the hand once more. It is a pleasing 
incident of your journey, that, leaving your country at the 
ancient city of Philadelphia, Mayor Stokcly expressed the 
hope of that city for a safe journey and a happy return. It 
is now my privilege to express the joy of San Francisco 
that the hope of her elder sister has been realized. The 
city desires to receive you as an old and honored resident 
and friend i-eturning after a long absence, and to extend to 
you such courtesies as may be agreeable to you; and, in obe- 
dience to such desire, which extends through all classes, I 
tender to you the freedom of the city and its hospitalities. 
In the short time allowed us we have arranged a reception 
in your honor, and ask that for an hour you will permit us 
to present our people to you, and we beg that, while you 
remain in the city, yourself and your family and your travel- 
ing companions will be its guests. Permit me, in conclu- 
sion, to express the wish of each and every one of us for 
the future happiness and prosperity of yourself and every 
member of your fiimily." 

General Grant replied as follows: 

"Mayor Bryant: I thank you and the city of San 
Francisco for this cordial welcome, and I feel great pleasure 
in returning to California after a quarter of a century's 
absence. I shall be glad to participate in the procession," 

General Grant was then escorted to the carriage in 
which he rode with the procession. Mrs. Grant occupied 
another carriage with Hon. Frank Pixley, and Jesse Grant 
and John Russell Young, of the party, occupied another 
carriage. 

After a delay of over an hour at the landing, at 8 o'clock 
the Presidential party was turned over to the Executive 



540 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



Committee having in charge the reception. Then the 
Grand Marslial gave out his orders, and the immense con- 
course of citizens, who were ready to take part in the pro- 
cession, were summoned to then' places, and formed in the 
following order: 

Detachment of Police. 

Grand Marshal — Mujor-General W. L. Elliott. 

Chief ot Staff— Col. A. W. Preston. 

Chief Aids— S. M. Taylor, T. McGregor, G. W. Smiley, C. M. Leavy, W. Harney, 

Lieutenant Henry Hammond, Colonel F". O. Von Fritsch. 
Aids to Grand Marshal— D. W. White, D. Roth, B. Seguine, W. G. Elliott, Thomas 
Magner, A. T. McGill, Dr. J. M. McNulty, T. H. Goodman, P. W. Ames, 
N. T. Messer, G. W. Wharton, J. H.Thompson, H. Beudel, 
W. H. Simond, E. Carlsen, Z. B. B. Adams, T. C. 
Otis, A. S. Hallidie, I. Simon, C. C. Bomis, 
G. A. Fisher, L. Wadham, P. J. White, 
A. Harlow, D. Bigley, J. Austin, George S. Ladd, A. Laver, J. P. Martin, W. B. 
Larzelcre, M. Doane, General J. Harris, C. N. Ellenwood, C. H. Carter, 
M. Skelly, George A. Case, C. I.,. Tetream, Henry Devenve, C. 
Van Dyke Hubbard, Walter Turnbull, A. Wheeler. 
Volunteer Officers, Soldiers and Sailors of the War of the Rebellion, including ex- 
Confederate Officers, Soldiers and Sailors. 
Second Brigade, Brigadier-General John McComb. 
Oakland Light Cavalry escort. 
General Ulysses S. Grant and the Honorable A. J. Bryant, Mayor of San Francisco. 
Veterans of the Mexican War, as Guard of Honor. 
Board of Supervisors and Executive Committee. 
Regular troops of the United States Army. 
His Excellency, William Irwin, Governor of California, and Staff. 
Uajor-General Irwin McDowell, commanding Military Division of the Pacific, 

and Staff. 

Commodore E. R. Calhoun, United States Navy, and Staff. 

judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Circuit Court, 

and District Judges of the Ninth Circuit. 

Committee on Parade and Decoration. 

United States Senators and Representatives to Congress. 

Foreign Consuls, Officers of ths United States Army and Navy, and Marine Corps. 

Judges of the Supreme Court of California and the District Courts. 

United States District Attorney and Assistants, Registrars in Bankruptcy. 

United States Marshal and Deputies, Collector of Customs, Surveyor of the Port, 

Naval Officer, United States Treasurer and Surveyor-General, United States 

Collector of Internal Revenue, and Deputies, Post- Master and Deputies. 

State Officers, City and County Officers. 

Board of Trade. 

Oakland City Authorities. 

City Authorities of Stockton. ' 

Board of Tnislee^of the City of Benicia. 

CominUtee ot Citizens of Sacramento. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 54I 

University Battalion. 

Garibaldi Guard, IliUian Bersaglicri, Austrian Jaegers. 

St. Patrick's Cadets, Italian Fishermen. 

California Pioneers, Territorial Pioneers, Patriotic Sons of America. 

Delectation ot the Fire Deparlmcnt. 

American District Telegraph Messenger Boys. 

Union Leafifue, McClellan Legion, Occidental Chib. 

Second Ward Republican Club, Eureka Club, Mutual Benevolent Society, West 

Indian Benevolent Association. 

Oakland Literary and Historical Society. 

School Children. 

Handel and Haydn Society. 

Grant Invincibles, 

Nelly Grant Blues. 

Organizations Not Vet Reported. 

Steam Calliope and Bells. 

The line of march decided upon was from the Market 
Street wharf, up Market Street to Montgomery, thence to 
Montgomery Avenue over Kearney Street, back to Mar- 
ket again, up the nortli side of Market Street, counter- 
marching down Market Street, soutli side, passing in 
review at New Montgomery Street. On reaching Sansome 
Street, the procession was instructed to disperse. Prob- 
ably no city on tliis globe ever beheld a grander sight than 
was the procession of Saturday night. 

The streets were made as bright as day by the electric 
lights, and the decorations, fantastic and beautiful as they 
were under the glare of the sun, looked still moi'e pleasing, 
rich and elegant under the soft and mellow light of the 
great lanterns which the greatest of modern inventors has 
given us. In the line of march a thousand banners flapped 
in the evening breeze. The starry flag of our country was 
of course the most prominent among them, but every 
nation on earth was represented by her colors, and the flag 
of the " lost cause," side by side with the flag of the Union, 
was not the least conspicuous. 

The Grand Marshal and his aids were mounted upon 
the best horses that this State could produce — charging 
Steeds, with all the pride and spirit of the thoroughbred 
21 



54^ GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

flowing through their veins. The average CaHfornian is 
hirge, well-formed, and handsome. There was not an ill- 
looking man among the fifty who marched at the head of 
the procession. The volunteer officers and soldiers and 
sailors of the war of the rebellion, including those who had 
fought with and against the great commander, made a 
magnificent display, and were cheered along the entire 
line of march. The band played "Battle Cry of Free- 
dom," and an occasional war-whoop, such as has not been 
heard since Lee surrendered, resounded through the streets 
of the city. The Second Brigade, N. G. C, commanded 
by General McComb, the editor of the Alta^ who was one 
of the Argonaut's of '49, followed. Then came a light 
cavalry escort from the beautiful and prosperous city of 
Oakland, across the bay. Then came the hero, himself, 
at the side of whom sat the Mayor of San Francisco, the 
Hon. A. J. Bryant. 

As the General passed, the crowds along the street fiiirly 
shook the buildings with their cheers. The heart of Gen- 
eral Grant must have been more gratified than at any time 
since his name became a distinguished one in the history of 
his country. He has met with enthusiastic receptions and 
cheers before, but it was when his services to the country 
wc^e fresher in the minds of the people, and at a time when 
tlTi soul of the nation was full of gratitude to all her de- 
fenders. But that feeling, were it but temporary, as is too 
often the case, has had time to die out. 

Fourteen years of peace has many a time before buried 
the hero of a war. The commander of the Northern 
armies in the great rebellion must have felt, after he had ac- 
complished all that the country could ask for, that his 
memory would soon pale, too. For, had he not been taught 
from childhood that republics were ungrateful? If he ever 
feared a change in the sentiment of his fellow countrymen, 
that fear must have disaj^peared that night. He could not 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 543 

feel but that the heart of the nation was unchanged ; that 
it would never cease to honor him, that it would never be- 
come ungenerous, cold or distant to the man of its choice, 
as two hundred thousand men, women and children cheered 
him until their throats were sore. He must have felt that this 
republic, at least, was not ungrateful to him. He bowed 
his head, a trifle grayer than it was when he left the 
country two years ago, and waved his hat left and right to 
the surging, crazy populace. Never for a moment from the 
time the procession left the landing until he was taken into 
the Palace Hotel did his interest in the festivities slacken, 
or his wonderful presence of mind desert him. He was at 
once a smiling, courteous, jolly-looking American citizen, 
and a distinguished, dignified and honored American states- 
man and soldier. His bearing pleased the multitude, and 
it cheered again. 

The great throng of people assembled in the vicinity 
of the hotel remained unbroken for nearly two hours after 
the passage of the General under the triumphal arch. The 
cheering was continuous on the outside, and the cries for a 
speech could be heard in the room where the General was 
receiving a select number of gentlemen. The cries for a 
speech became so loud that one of the members of the Ex- 
ecutive Committee finally suggested to the General that he 
show himself to the populace, at least, and he consented. 

What the General said when he appeared will never be 
known, for no human voice could be distinguished where 
fifty thousand throats were being tested, and a mighty swell 
of sounds drowned everything save the sounds themselves. 
The General appreciated the situation, saw that he was 
" bottled up," so to speak, and retired from the fight a de- 
feated and defended man. He was kept out of his bed by 
visitors as long as decency would allow, and, after the ex- 
citement had subsided a little, was allowed to resume con- 
trol of his own actions again. Although he must have 



544 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

been greatly fatigued, he did not show the slightest im- 
patience during the trying ordeal of hand-shaking which 
he passed through. 

There was not a prouder city in America that night 
than San Francisco. She felt that she had distinguished 
herself by honoring General Grant. She had not had the 
experience of eastern cities, but she had done fully as well 
as any of them could do. The General might meet with 
receptions grander than they had given him as he journeys 
toward the Atlantic, but he could not meet with a heartier 
one. 

At 1 1 o'clock a chorus of about two hundred voices 
sang an anthem of welcome at the Palace Hotel. It was 
in the nature of a serenade, and was well rendered and 
received. 

During Sunday General Grant made no public appear- 
ance other than to take a ride in the Golden Gate Park 
with Mayor Bryant. In the evening a crowd was drawn 
to the corridors of the Palace Hotel, but the General did 
not show himself 

The future movements of General Grant and party 
embrace a grand entertainment at the California Theatre 
on Monday, September 22. On Tuesday evening he will 
attend a reception given by Mayor Bryant. On Wednes- 
day or Thursday night the grand banquet at Bellmont 
will be given. The tbllowing is one of the poems to be 
read at this banquet. It is, in its way, a novelty, and was 
written by the famous poet-scout, John Wallace Crawford. 
It will be read with a number of others. 

Dear Gineral, I ain't no gfrcat scollar, 

An' 1 never done nothin' to brag, 
'Cept this: I wor one of the outfit 

As fought for our star-spangled flag. 

An' to-day, while yer toasted by scholars, 

An' by big bugs as made a great noise. 
Why, I thought it the squar' thing to write yer, 

An' chip in a word for yer boys. 



TOUR AROUND TIH% WOULD. 545 

'Cos, yer see, we ain't got the colulnil 

Nor the larnin' to ilisli it up right; 
But yc'U find, shouhl there be any trouble, 

Our boys are still ready ter fight. 

As for you, if they didn't correll yer, . 

You'd shake comrades' hands that yer seed, 
An' that's why I wanted tor tell yer 

We'll just take the will for the deed. 

But ye're back, an' the men of all nations 

Were proud to do honor ter yer; 
An' I reckon, Ulysses, yer told 'em 

Ye were proud of yer comrades in blue. 

For you, we are sure, of all others. 

Remembered our boys in the ranks 
Who foUered yer inter the battle. 

An' gallantly guarded the flanks. 

So, welcome! a thousand times welcome! 

Our land is ablaze with delight; 
Our people give thanks for yer safety; 

Yer comrades are happy to night. 

We know yer are wearied an' tuckered. 

But, seein' as ye're a new comer, 
Ye'U Grant us one glance on this line, if 

In reading it takes yer all summer. 

The banquet at which this poem will be read promises 
to be one of the most brilliant affairs of the kind that Cali- 
fornia has ever had. The millionaires, the beauty and the 
talent of the Golden State, wjll be represented. It is said 
that at one table in the Bellmont mansion, the old home of 
Ralston, men will sit down whose aggregate fortunes will 
foot up nearly $300,000,000. Among them will be John 
W. Mackey, the bonanza king, and Messrs. Jones, Sharon, 
Flood, Fair, and other men of vast wealth who reside in 
that city. But the entertainment will not be confined to 
representatives of wealth alone, for every branch of the 
arts, sciences and industries of the Pacific States will be 
ably represented at the supper. 

On the 30th he will go to the Yosemite Valley, i-e- 
maining there about ten days. Then he will return to 
San Francisco and leave for Orearon. After visiting Port- 



54^ GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

land, the Dalles, and other places, he will pay a visit to the 
Bonanza mines at Virginia City, where he will be the 
guest of his friend, John W. Mackey, the millionaire. 
After this he will go straight to Chicago, where he will 
attend the Army and Navy Re-union, November 5, then 
to St. Louis, and then to his old home at Galena. 

Dispatches from Oregon, Nevada, Yosemite Valley 
and other parts of the country show that the grand wel- 
come extended to the General at San Francisco will be but 
the forerunner of those yet grander that await him. His 
coming recalls the splendor of his military achievements. 
The popular heart quickens to welcome the hero of the 
war, who out of disaster organized victory. 

The Romans were accustomed to give their generals a 
triumphal march on their return from successful campaigns 
of conquest by the sword. The whole world has united 
in making General Grant's trip around the world a tri- 
umphal march, and that, too, in honor at once of military 
and pacific records. The foremost soldier of this genera- 
tion, to say the least, he was a promoter of good will 
among the nations, and especially of the policy of arbitra- 
tion in international disputes. These two contrasting, yet 
not inconsistent, records, conspired to make him honored, 
and we might almost say revered, from Liverpool to Yo- 
kohama. 

The journey, which is now over so far as concerns the 
outside world, was absolutely unique. History furnishes 
no parallel to it. It can hardly be possible for him to reach 
his final destination without being the recipient of most 
flattering ovations. There was nothing partisan about the 
reception at San Francisco. There were no distinctions 
of republican and democrat. Even the Confederate 
soldiers on the coast joined cordially in the honors, and 
well they might. Never did the victor show such magna- 
nimity as Grant at Appomattox. When General Lee 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 547 

directed the horses in his command turned over, General 
Grant interrupted: "No, no; no horses, General Lee. 
Your people will need them all for plowing." That little 
incident, told by General Lee himself, fairly illustrates the 
policy he pursued then and ever afterward toward the 
South. The people of the United States might well join 
as one man in expression of affectionate respect for " the 
wanderer returned." . 

As General Grant's tour around the world is unprece- 
dented in the annals of history, so his deportment appears 
to have been unexampled in its freedom from the least alloy 
of vanity. Surprised by the magnificent ovation in San 
Francisco, he embraced his old classmate and fellow sol- 
dier, General McDowell, in the presence of the eager mul- 
titude, with the warmth and abandon of a boy. A hundred 
ovations from the rulers and peoples of the Old World 
seem not to have lifted him a hair's-breadth in his own esti- 
mation. It seems to be as impossible to " turn his head " 
as it was during the Rebellion to turn the flank of one of 
his armies. The attentions showered upon him abroad 
have been gratefully received and acknowledged as marks 
of honor to his countiy, but personally regarded only as 
pleasing incidents of a journey undertaken with a purpose 
— the purpose of seeing the Old World and studying man- 
kind, their habits, social customs and political institutions. 
From this purpose he was no more to be swerved by the 
blandishments of power than by the dictates of a false gen- 
erosity before Fort Donaldson, when, to General Buckner's 
request for a commission to arrange terms of capitulation, 
he wrote : " JVo terms other than an unconditional and im- 
mediate surrefider can be accepted. I propose to m^ve ifn- 
mediatcly upon your ivorksP 

Obstinacy and modesty are not often combined in the 
same character. With obstinacy there is usually much self- 
assertion, as in the case of Andrew Jackson. It is also true 



54^ GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

that the armor of an obstinate character is not infrequently 
successfully assailed by flattery. But General Grant is as 
impervious to flattery as he is free from the vice of self- 
assertion. The career of General Grant is scarcely less mar- 
velous and far more illustrious than that of Napoleon I. 
But, while with Napoleon it was, " 1 am the State," with 
Grant it is, "I was an humble instrument in the hands of 
the people." Napoleon's confidence ,in himself bordered 
closely on belief in his own infallibility; but General Grant, 
in his letter accepting a second nomination to the Presidency, 
said, humbly: " Experience may guide me in avoiding mis- 
takes inevitable with novices in all professions and in all 
occujDations," Such a confession is rare in a state paper, 
and it shows the courage of an integrity fearless of results. 
To an unconspicuous friend General Grant once sent this 
message: "I am now convinced that I did you injustice. I 
regret it, and, if I ever have an opportunity, I will recom- 
pensate you." In this characteristic of daring to confess an 
error, whether in a state paper or in a communication to an 
humble friend. General Grant resembles Lincoln. The 
martyr President had no pride of opinion where public 
interest or private light was concerned; neither has Gen- 
eral Grant. This quality is by no means peculiar to all 
great men. It is found only in characters which, intrinsic- 
ally grand, are rendered almost sublime by their simplicity. 
Writing of General Grant in 1S65, the New York World 
made this estimate of his character as a military man: 

" When the mass of men look upon such a character, 
they inay learn a truer respect for themselves and each 
other; they are taught by it that high qualities and great 
abilities are consistent with the simplicity of taste, con- 
tempt for parade, and plainness of manners with which 
direct and earnest men have a strong and natural sympa- 
thy. * * * Grant stands pre-e??iinent among all the 
generals who have served in this war in the completeness 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 549 

of his final results. * * * If anybody is so obtuse or 
wrong-headed as to sec nothing great in General Grant 
beyond his marvelous tenacity of will, let that doubter ex- 
plain, if he can, how it has happened that, since Grant 
rose to high command, tills quality has always been exerted 
in conspicuous energy precisely at the point on which 
everything in his whole sphere of operations hinged. 
There has been no display of great qualities on small oc- 
casions; no expenditure of herculean effort to accomplish 
objects not of the first magnitude. It is only a very clear- 
sighted and a very comprchetisive mind \\\a\. could always 
thus ha^'e laid the whole emphasis of an indomitable soul 
so precisely on the emphatic j^lace." 

General Grant's series of receptions beyond the oceans 
was the logical result of this excellent estimate of his char- 
acter as developed chiefly in his military career. Let it be 
admitted that General Grant's remarkable journey is merely 
evidence of the hero-worship to which mankind is so 
strongly addicted. Still it must be conceded that all the 
world does not unite to crown a man a hero without good 
cause. Napoleon ended his brilliant career miserably, a 
prisoner at St. Helena, held there by the fears and hates of 
all Europe. 

General Grant, having enjoyed the highest honor the 
nation can bestow, returns from his triumphal tour around 
the world, to be made the recipient of a welcome as hearty, 
fraternal and tender as the subdued cry of joy with which 
the father embraces his first-born child returning from a 
long absence. 

In the presence of this grand demonstration, this spon- 
taneous outpouring of patriotism and affection, partisanship 
is hushed, and the American people, as a unit, receive back 
to their bosom and confidence the beloved General who 
beat back the waves of rebellion ;ind saved the nation. 

The welcome extended to him comes ui) from the hearts 



550 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

of the people. It Is expressive of the gratitude of the 
nation — of the popular confidence in the tried captain in 
war and leader in times of perilous civil commotion. It is 
not confined to the Pacific slope. It is not confined to this 
day or generation. The place which he to-day holds in the 
hearts of the people is that which he will hold in the hearts 
of the American people while the nation exists. 

Perhaps nothing will better illustrate the high pitch of 
public enthusiasm in San Francisco so much as the follow- 
ing extracts from the three leading newspapers there. The 
Chronicle had a column leader headed, " Hail to the Chief," 
from which the following is selected : 

" The jubilant peal of bells throughout the city, the shrill 
scream of a hundred steam whistles, and the reverberated 
thunders of artillery from the batteries of the fortresses that 
fuard our harbor and the Golden Gate, have announced the 
arrival of San Francisco's expected guest. He returns to 
this country after receiving the homage of the civilized 
world, crov\rned with such honors as have never before been 
bestowed by foreign nations upon any citizen of the United 
States. Regarded everywhere as a great representative 
American, the testimony of admiration and respect paid him 
at every stage of his journey redound to the honor of his 
country, with which, throughout the world, his name and 
fame and illustrious deeds are identified. Thus the nation 
itself derives fresh prestige from the renown and achieve- 
ments of its most distinguished living citizen, who, without 
official position, occupying a private station, with no favors 
to bestow and no patronage to dispense, will be welcomed 
home by his grateful countrymen with such tokens of con- 
fidence and enthusiastic affection as have never been exhib- 
ited by Americans to any citizen, or any illustrious visitor 
from abroad, since the days of Washington and Lafayette; 
and it is fitting that this should be so, for, assuredly, when 
this generation shall have passed away, when the fierce pas- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 55^ 

sions engendered by a bitter strife shall have been tranquil- 
izcd, the voices of prejudice and calumny that have been so 
loud against his great name w^ill be hushed forever, and the 
verdict of impartial history w^ill be that, since the foundation 
of our government, no American, however bright the halo 
that time has cast around his memory, has deserved better 
of his country than Ulysses S. Grant." 

The Ca//, after reviewing the glorious war record of the 
General, and quoting his modest, magnanimous language 
to General Sherman, when the rank of General of the 
Army was conferred upon him, goes on to say: 

" What picture of grandeur and simplicity of character 
is presented in this career; what magnanimity, what patri- 
otism, what cool judgment, what clear-sighted sagacity, 
what singleness of purpose, what subordination of all ego- 
tistical and selfish considerations to duty and the public 
good! Mere was a man who sought no personal ends, who 
had none of the airs of little greatness, who abhorred fuss 
and feathers, who never attitudinized before, the public, or 
courted popularity by melodramatic vices; a man such as 
Tennyson has described the 'Iron Duke' to be — moderate, 
resolute, our greatest, yet with least picture foremost, cap- 
tain of his time, rich in saving common-sense, and, as the 
greatest only are, in his simplicity sublime." 

The Alta Californian^ General McComb's paper, had 
{I double-leaded editorial, as follows: 

" The Tokio has come, and so has Grant, at present the 
.foremost man of the nation, and whom San Francisco and 
California are pleased and happy to honor. He left this 
{State more than a quarter of a century ago, when it was 
[but a crude country, knowi). chiefly for its gold and climate, 
and for the inrushing hosts of 'fresh-lipped men,' seeking 
Igold, and anticipating a speedy return to the old home- 
isteads. He left us and went to the East. Since then the 
[scarcely more than a territory with a population of miners 



55- GEN. U. S. GRANT S TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 

has become almost an Empire State, summing her popula- 
tion by the million, and boasting of her prolific soil, richer 
in its productions of breadstufTs than it had formerly been 
in its crop of gold; and General Grant cannot but be sur- 
prised, if not astonished, as he sees the evidences here of 
that intelligence, industry and confidence which have 
changed a sand bank into a city of a third of a million 
people. We noticed him as he rode through the streets last 
night over solid pavements, which he left as little better 
than sand and mud, as his eyes were seeking some well 
known and remembered shanty or abode of an ancient con- 
struction. But instead they followed up the facades of pal- 
ace-like structures, their windows brilliant with illumina- 
tions of gaslight, electricity, and ladies' eyes from the Orient 
isles, just awakened from their dreams of centuries, and 
rushing forward in the race of a new civilization with the 
vim and vigor of a new-born people. He comes- back to 
the scenes of his young manhood, to a people who have 
already built up here a State and city and civilization which 
will compare with any he has visited while girding the 
world about; and this people have shown their delight at^ 
his presence by a welcome which comes from the heart, as 
a tribute to the foremost man of the nation. And so say 
we all." 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 



On the morning of September 23d the Methodist Con- 
ference, which had been in session for several days, called 
in a body on General and Mrs. Grant. Bishop Haven 
made an address of welcome, and a formal presentation to 
the General and Mrs. Grant followed. An hour was taken 
up before the ^^I'esentation was concluded. The prepara- 
tions made around the new city hall for the formal pre- 
sentation of General and Mrs. Grant to the citizens of San 
Francisco were of an elaborate character. The Mayor's 
office, which was used as a reception room, was hand- 
somely draped with flags. At half-past twelve o'clock a 
crowd began to assemble in front of the McAllister street 
entrance, and shortly after the passage, steps and every 
point of advantage were thronged with people. At the 
Market street side of the building there was also a large 
crowd awaiting the arrival of the veterans to fire salutes 
from the sand lots. As the hour for the recejDtion ap- 
proached, the crowd grew denser, filling up the corridors 
and entrances of the building. A squad of thirty police- 
men was detailed to keep the passages open. At a quarter 
to one the veterans — Federal and Confederate — arrived 
upon the " sand lots," titking up a position near IMarket 
street. The first gun was fired at ten minutes to one, the 
other thirty-seven guns succeeding each other at intervals of 
one minute. The people massed along the line of Market 
street. After the salute the veterans fell into line, entered 
the corridor, and marching down its length countermarched 

555 



55^ GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

and took up a position awaiting the arrival of the General. 
A few minutes later the ex-President and party arrived at 
the McAllister street entrance and were greeted with 
cheers. The windows of the houses opposite and the 
housetops were crowded with jDCople who waved handker- 
chiefs and sent up cheer after cheer as the party alighted. 
As. the General proceeded along the pavement, escorted by 
the Mayor, the enthusiasm broke out afresh along the 
corridor. Running from the lower entrance to the Mayor's 
office were ranged the veterans, posted in two lines. Their 
commander. Colonel Lyons, stepped forward as General 
Grant and the Mayor reached the corridor, and said: 
" Now, boys, three cheers for your old commander!" The 
veterans responded w^ith enthusiastic hurrahs. The party 
then proceeded to the Mayor's office, where a committee of 
ladies were waiting to receive Mrs. Grant and assist her. 
Mrs. Grant did not arrive until some time after the General, 
who took up his position in the centre of the room. The 
southeast corner of the room was assigned to the ladies. 

Directions were then issued to admit the multitude. 
After a few of the invited guests had been j^resented to the 
General the crowd filed in, shook hands with the city's 
guests, and passed out at the Market street entrance after 
presentation to Mrs. Grant. All the afternoon a constant 
stream of visitors poured thi^ough the apartments, and all 
were greeted with a hearty shake of the hand, the General 
not adopting the suggestion of the Mayor that hand shak- 
ing might be dispensed with on account of the great rush, 
and expressing his opinion that he could " fight it out on 
that line all summer." 

Previous to the salute on the " sand lots," the General 
reviewed the veterans at their rendezvous in Mechanics' 
Pavilion. 

On tlie morning of the 24th General Grant visited the 
Produce Exchange, and witnessed a grand display of 



t 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 557 

cereals of the Pacific coast, which no city in the world 
could probably excel. He was much gratified at the ex- 
hibition, and expressed in a few words his congratulations. 
After that, accompanied by General McDowell, a govern- 
ment tug conveyed him to all the forts in tlic bay, where 
he was received with military honoi^s. Upon landing at 
Black Point, General McDowelTs headquarters, the party 
was greeted by a salute, and the troops were drawn up in 
line to receive General Grant. At General McDowell's 
residence a collation was prepared, and a formal reception 
tendered to the distinguished guest. Among the promi- 
nent citizens present were Governor Irwin and Governor- 
elect Perkins, ex-Governor Stanford, ex-Governor Low, 
Senator Booth, Senator Sharon, ex-Senator Stewart, Jus- 
tice S. J. Field, Judge Ogden Hoffman, D. O. Mills, and 
other distinguished citizens, generally accompanied by their 
ladies. 

Before the reception began, the General was visited by 
the chief representatives of the Chinese community, headed 
by their Consul and the Chinese Vice-Consul, who read 
the following congratulatory welcome : 

" General — We feel deeply gratified that we were per- 
mitted to meet you face to face, and express to you how 
sincerely we appreciate the fact that you have visited our 
country, and consulted with its rulers, and become fiimiliar 
with the important features of both government and peo- 
ple. It gives unbounded pleasure to learn that you re- 
ceived a warm welcome, commensurate with the high 
esteem your noble deeds fully entitled you to at the hands 
of the Chinese authorities and jDCoplc. Let us hope that 
your visit will have a tendency to bring the people of the 
oldest and youngest nations in still closer friendly and com- 
mercial relations. The Chinese of California join with 
your countrymen in the acclaim,' Welcome home,' and add 
the sentiments that you may live long, and, like the great 



55^ GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

Washington, be first in war, first in peace, and first in the 
hearts of your countrymen." 

To this was added by the dignitaries : 

" To General Grant — We join our voices to prolong 
the pean which has girdled the earth, wafted o'er seas and 
continents. Praises to the warrior and statesman most 
graciously presented by the Chinese of California." 

The General replied : 

" Gentlemen — I am very glad to meet the representa- 
tives of the Chinese community, and receive this address. 
I have, as you say, just returned from a visit to your coun- 
try. It was a most interesting visit — one that I shall 
always remember, and especially because of the kindness 
and hospitality shown me by the people and the authorities 
of China. For that I am grateful, and glad of an oppor- 
tunity of expressing that gratitude so soon after my arrival 
at home. I hope that the remark you make about China 
breaking down the seclusion in which she has been shrouded 
for ages will prove true in all senses, and that China will 
continue to draw near to her the sympathy and the trade 
of the civilized world. The future of China will largely 
depend upon her policy in this respect. A liberal policy 
will enlarge your commerce, and confer great commercial 
advantages upon the outside world. I hope that America 
will have a large share in this. Again I thank you." 

After presenting the address Colonel Bej said that 
Mrs. Grant had done more to break down the spirit of do- 
mestic exclusiveness that reigned in China than the warrior 
had done, by the honors shown her in Tientsin. He 
begged that she would accept a small casket of ivory as a 
memento of the occasion. The reception lasted till 6 
o'clock; the party returned to the city, and in the evening 
attended Baldwin's theater. 

The announcement that General Grant would visit the 
Baldwin theater sulliccd to pack the building to its utmost 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. ^^g 

capacity. The proscenium box designed for the occupancy 
of the General and his party, was handsomely decorated 
with flowers and national colors. The programme for the 
evening comprised the "balcony " and other scenes from 
" Romeo and Juliet," and " Diplomacy." General Grant 
and party arrived shortly before 9 o'clock, between the 
acts. A great crowd gathered at the entrance, cheering 
vociferously as he alighted. On making his appearance in 
the box the audience rose to their feet and cheered and 
applauded for several minutes, while the orchestra struck 
up " See, the Conquering Hero Comes," followed by a 
inedley of national airs, accented by discharges of mus- 
ketry from behind the scenes. 

On the 35th General Grant visited Oakland, the resi- 
dence of thousands of San Francisco merchants, and the 
second largest city on the Pacific Coast. The General was 
I'eceived with a salute of thirty-eight guns, the fire whis- 
tles, profusion of bunting, masses of people, and display 
of flov/ers of all descriptions at once announced that an 
ovation was in store for him. Mayor Andrus, of Oakland, 
who was formerly a carpenter, received General Grant 
with the following words: 

" General Grant: Your merited ovations have en- 
circled the world ; they have been as grand and varied as 
the nations that have offered them; and yet, along them 
all there has been no more earnest, sincere, and cordial wel- 
come than the city of Oakland now extends to you — this 
pre-eminently city of homes and of families, of husbands 
ifnd wives, of parents and children, of churches and 
schools. There is no tie more sacred and lasting than that 
of the family. At the family altar the fires of liberty are 
first kindled, and there patriotism is born. Love of home, 
of kindred, and of country is the source and foundation of 
our welcome to you — defender of our firesides and fami- 
lies." 



560 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

The procession then formed and moved along Broad- 
way. The enthusiasm of the populace was unbounded. 

At the entrance of Clay and Fourteenth street 5,000 
school children greeted General Grant, who alighted from 
the carriage, passing down one row of children and up 
another, while the little ones literally bestrewed his path 
with flowers, the High School singers chanting a glee, and 
Grant's Des Moines words, " The free schools ai-e the joro- 
moters of that intelligence which is to produce us a free 
nation," hanging high above his head. All the girls wore 
white dresses, tastefully trimmed, and, as the General re- 
entered his carriage they cast showers of floral tributes at 
his feet. General Grant was visibly affected, and every 
now and then would stretch forth his hands to embrace 
some very small child who would approach timidly with 
her bouquet. Not alone the schools of Oakland, but those 
of Haywards, San Leandro, Alameda, and other suburban 
points were represented, A prettier display could not have 
been made. Garlands of red, white and blue streamers 
stretched across the street, while the national colors floated 
high above all on the city hall. 

As the procession passed on again along Broadway and 
Twelfth streets, the words, " Welcome and Honor the 
Brave," in red geraniums and white candy tufts, were visi- 
ble at more than a dozen houses. Soon after i o'clock the 
pavilion was reached, and General Grant, with the Mayor, 
took scats in a canopied dias in the center of the building, 
which was tastefully decorated with festoons, bouquets, 
wreaths and plumes of Pampas grass. On the wall facing 
the General were the words, " Honor to Grant," and over 
them the coat of arms of Illinois, surrounded by a wreath, 
while beneath and around were shields representing the 
other thirty-seven states. The First Regiment band 
played " Hail Columbia," and the Oakland Cavalry, Mexi- 
ican War Veterans, and National Guard Infantry, together 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 56 1 

with representatives of Oakland's renowned Fire Depart- 
incnt, marched in and around the halls. 

About two o'clock the procession moved on to Tubb's 
hotel, where an excellent lunch was spread. The arrange- 
ments were admirable. Every person entering the lunch- 
room had a ticket, and thus all confusion was avoided. At 
a quarter to four o'clock Mayor Andrus rose and proposed 
General Grant's health, after which, all speeches being 
taken as read or spoken, the party adjourned. The Gen- 
eral entered a carriage with six horses, and was taken round 
the Fruitvale Road, toward the Mills seminary, the young 
ladies from which had come out in full force. Returning 
at 4:15 to the hotel, the carriages proceeded to Badger's 
Park, where an old sailors' and soldiers' camjD-firetook place. 
Ex-President Grant was escorted to a platform, on which 
were ranged tables with pork and beans, coffee in camp- 
kettles, tin cups, platters and spoons, iron table-knives, 
tobacco and clay pipes, the camp-trre lights being visible 
from the platform. The Federal and Confederate veterans 
had here united to do him honor, and manv were those who 
stepped up to the General, and reminded him of " Auld 
Lang Svne." About five o'clock Major L. B. Edwards 
silenced the cheering crowd, and said: "Veterans, allow 
me to introduce General Grant." The hero of Appomat- 
tox then stepped forward, and, amid breathless silence, 
spoke as follows: 

Gentlemen of the two Armies and Navies: I am 
very proud of the welcome you have given me. I am partic- 
ularlj' happy to see the good-will and cordiality existing be- 
tween the soldiers of the two armies, and I have an enduring 
faith that it will always be so. T hope we shall never have 
a foreign war; but, if we do, I doubt not you and your 
children will be found fighting on the same side, and against 
a common enemy. I hope the day will never come when 
it will be necessary for us 'co take up r.rms again. I am 



362 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

perfectly satisfied, from travel around the world, that no 
foreign power desires to come in conflict with us, should 
any difficulty unfortunately arise, that they will always be 
willing to submit to friendly arbitration, and that being all 
that we can desire, I feel confident America has a long ca- 
reer of peace and prosperity before her. 

The enthusiasm created by this speech was indescrib- 
able. One veteran shouted, " That's the longest speech 
Grant ever made." A brief walk through the park termi- 
nated the proceedings, and at 5:40 General Grant took the 
train at Clinton station and returned to the city, thanking 
Mayor Andrus and W. W. Crane, of the arrangements 
committee, for their admirably organized reception. 

The Mayor had previously handed General Grant a 
richly-mounted morocco case containing the freedom of the 
city, embossed on pai-chment; and armed with this, and 
both hands full of bouquets presented by children, the Gen- 
eral returned at seven o'clock, with Shipping Commisioner 
Stephenson and United States District Judge Hoffinan, to 
the Palace hotel. He made a brief appearance at the press 
banquet, then being given to John Russell Young, of the 
New York Herald. 

In reply to a toast. General Grant responded, briefly 
expressing his gratification at the welcome awarded him in 
California, concluding with "The good opinion of my coun- 
trymen is dearer to me than the praise of all the world be- 
side." 

After attending the press banquet, the General and 
party went to the carnival at Mechanics' Pavilion, where 
more than ten thousand persons were assembled. Col- 
onel Andrews, of the diamond palace, who organized this 
ball, signalized the occasion by presenting Mrs. Grant with 
a bouquet composed of the flowers indigenous to the vari- 
ous countries she passed through in her tour around the 
world. These flowers were placed in regular order, start- 




GRAND ARCH ERECTED 0\ NEW MONTGOMERY STREET, SANsKRANCISCO. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



56; 



ing from Philadelphia and ending with San Francisco. 
The bouquet-holder, five inches long, was of pure Califor- 
nia gold, and inlaid with quartz, and a collection of other 
metals found on this coast. It was a costly present, and 
will undoubtedly be esteemed as a precious memento of the 
visit to California. Mechanics' Pavilion was superbly dec- 
orated with several hundred large stars, the fountains play- 
ing in the center space, opposite the box reserved for the 
Grant party. This box was magnificently arranged with 
flowers and flags, satin programmes being provided for the 
honored guests. Seven different committees, each com- 
posed of nine j^ersons, were to decide upon the best-dressed 
lady, the best-dressed gentleman, and the most original 
character, lady and gentleman; the best sustained charac- 
ter, the best-formed lady, the handsomest blonde, the hand- 
somest brunette, the best waltzer, the tallest lady, the short- 
est lady, the fattest lady, the leanest lady, the handsomest 
lady, the homeliest gentleman, the best-dressed girl, the 
best-dressed boy, and the best-sustained character, boy and 
girl. The prizes were seventy-nine in numbei". The .only 
ladies' committee was that selected to decide on the chil- 
dren's prizes. At 9 o'clock commenced the grand march 
around the pavilion, a miniature mardi gras. Subsequent 
arrangements comprised a prize waltz at 11, at which only 
the competitors were allowed on the floor, forty soldiers of 
the First Regiment drilling shortly afterwards in the Gen- 
eral's presence, and Haverly's Minstrels playing before 
him half an hour later. Midnight was fixed for the an- 
nouncement and distribution of prizes. The supper ar- 
rangements were in the hands of the Baldwin and Palace 
hotel chiefs. Forty ushers officiated, and the whole thing 
was conducted on a scale of completeness rare even in older 
communities than San Francisco. 

On the 26th General Grant and party left on a special 



566 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

train for San Jose. As it passed San Mateo, the cadets of 
St. Matthew's academy were drawn up on a platform at 
" present arms." The whole population of the village be- 
hind them greeted the train with cheers. Flags were fly- 
ino- all over the town. The train arrived at San Tose at 
11:30 A. M. There was an immense crowd at the depot, 
and the train was met by Mayor Archer and the commit- 
tee. Upon stepping from the train, the Mayor, in a 
brief address, welcomed General Grant, who, in response, 
said : 

Mr. Mayor and Ladies and Gentlemen — I 
am glad to see you all, and thank you for this kind recep- 
tion. You speak of my reception by the sovereigns and 
princes of the world. I am prouder of this than all — this 
kindness from the sovereign people of my own country. 
Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you. 

General Grant then, accompanied by Mayor Archer, 
entered a barouche drawn by four magnificent horses. The 
other guests followed, and the procession proceeded through 
the principal streets of the city, halting at the court-house, 
where one thousand school children stood, and bedecked 
the General's carnage with flowers, shortly afterwards 
uniting in singing "America." San Jose was festooned and 
decorated as befitted a rural country seat, the emblems be- 
ing appropriate and handsome. 

At I o'clock the Fair Grounds were reaehed,and an ex- 
hibition of fine stock was paraded before the party. A 
magnificent Australian horse was among the animals ex- 
hibited. The Mexican veterans were then introduced to 
Grant, and it was remarked, "You see, General, these 
veterans still live." " Yes," replied Grant: " most of those 
now li\ing are older than I am but, when the last of them 
has dropped off, then I must be thinking of departing." 
At precisely 2 o'clock began the trotting match between 



TOUR AROUND THE WOIU.I). _/-„ 

Gov. Lclaiul Stanford's Occident and Daniel Cook's horse 
Graves — the hitter horse w^inning in three straight heats,* 
time 3 :2o, 2 :2o, 2 12^. 

Shortly after 4 o'clock the party re-entered the carriages 
and drove to Santa Clara, passing the old Jesuit Seminary, 
huilt in 1773, and inspecting the splendid grounds of J. P. 
Pieice, formerly owmed by Gen. William Lent, of Bodie 
Bonanza fame. While the carriages vs^ere passing throuo-h 
Santa Clara on the way back, a number of tanners in every- 
day working-clothes turned out and greeted their ex-fellov/- 
craftsman. 

San Jose, where all business was suspended, was again 
reached at 5 o'clock, and here the illustrious guests were 
vouchsafed a season of rest. As the evening drew on, ex- 
President Grant received a number of citizens at the Auze- 
rias house, and at S o'clock took place the grand banquet, 
100 gentlemen dining with Gen. Grant, and twenty ladies 
with Mrs. Grant. The party returned to San Francisco 
after 10 o'clock. The whole affair, under the auspices of 
Mayor Archer, Gov. Woods, T. O. Houghton, and G. F. 
Baker, was a grand success, and San Jose will undoubtedly 
remain enshrined in the General's memory in connection 
with his reception. 

On the 37th the General visited the San Francisco Stock 
and Exchange Board. Pine street between Sansome and 
Montgomery was thronged with people in anticipation of 
his visit. The hall and lobby were denselv crowded, a lane 
for entrance being kept open by the police. The Board- 
room which is a work of art in itself, was tastefully 
decorated with flowers, ferns and smilax. Business opened 
at the usual hour and soon afterwards the ex-President and 
his party arrived. President Peckham led his^uests to the 
centre of the arena, those sacred precincts usually reserved 
exclusively for the brokers, and there, in an excellently 
worded speech, introduced the General to his fellow-brok- 



:^65 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

ers. The bulls and bears cheered, and shouted in unison 
for once in their lives, and then Mr. Peckhani conducted 
the visitors to a dias canopied with rich flags of California 
silk, sprigs of evergreens, ferns and verdure in general. 
This dias, a little to the callers' right, commanded a full 
view of the proceedings, which thereupon re-commenced 
in good earnest. There \v;is the ordinary hustling and 
jostling of the apparently infuriated maniacs, as they strove 
to obtain their number of shares, at five or ten cents below 
the market rates. Gen. Grant was much amused as he be- 
held them swaying to and fro. Sellers in pursuit of buyers, 
and vice versa. The General remained until the close of 
the Comstock call and then departed, escorted to the door 
by President Peckham, and Vice-President Lissak. The 
passage and steps were lined with ladies and gentlemen, 
forming an improvised guard of honor, till the General 
reached his carriage. 

On leaving the Stock Board, Gen. Grant visited the 
Anglo-California bank, and subsequently the California 
market. 

About 3 o'clock he accompanied Mrs. Grant to the 
California theatre to witness the last acts of the " Color 
Guard," and at night they were again at the same theater, 
with General and Mrs. McDowell and Mayor and Mrs. 
Bryant. The performance consisted of an opera " never," 
or, perhaps more correctly, " hardly ever," played in the 
East, in which Emclie Melville played "Josephine," and 
Frank Unger played the "Admiral's " part. After " Sir 
Joseph " had vocally narrated a wholly unfamiliar story, he 
was so loudly applauded that, removing his hat and turn- 
ing to the mezzanine box to his left, he sang: 

"And now, as the ruler ot the Q^ieen's navee, 
I am pleased our honored guest to see, 
Who has sailed the briny ocean o'er, 
But has never seen the good ship "Pinafore." 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 569 

He's the only man in the world, do you see, 

That has never met the ruler of the Queen's navee." 

Whereat the audience applauded enthusiastically, and 
Mrs. Grant smiled. As there were no physicians about, it 
is impossible to give a diagnosis of Grant's symptoms after 
seeing " Pinafore." Suffice it to say he is still an Ameri- 
can, and " its greatly to his credit." 

At 10 o'clock the General visited the camp-fires of the 
Federal and Confederate soldiers and sailors, at Mechanics' 
Pavilion. Only ex-soldiers were admitted to the floor, and 
it was estimated there were five thousand of these present, 
while the galleries were crowded with spectators. Not 
only coffee and hard-tack, but beer, cheese, crackers and 
plug tobacco formed prominent features of the entertain- 
ment. There seemed to be a lack of organization at this 
camp-fire. Invitations were issued by thousands in excess 
of the capacity of the building. The great idea of the 
managers seemed to have been a big demonstration, and 
to that end tickets were distributed right and left, admit- 
ting "bearer and ladies." The doors appear to have been 
placed in charge of irresponsible youngsters, who received 
those best qualified to enter, with fixed bayonets. Occa- 
sionally a squad of men would enliven the scene by charg- 
ing the surging crowd, and those without tickets seemed, 
on the whole, to stand a better chance of getting in than 
those with tickets. 

Crowds forced their way into the place until the floor 
must have contained from 7,000 to 8,000 persons. They 
climbed on chairs, on tables, and many were the break- 
downs and numerous the screams. Meanwhile the sentinel 
barred the doors, and thus excluded men like Gen. Mc- 
Comb and Marcus Boruck. The veterans outside were 
indignant at being left out, grew uproarious, and some got 
step-ladders and scaled the walls, entering by the windows. 
Then sentinels from within battened down the windows, 



57© GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

while policemen withdrew the ladders. Fortunately no 
one was injured, but a very bad feeling prevailed. On the 
estrade beneath which General Grant was seated were 
tents, cannon, and masses of bunting. General Grant, in 
reply to his health, expressed his pleasure at being among 
the veterans. All the orators who followed bellowed forth 
their remarks, and a lady orator, reciting some heroic 
verses, pitched her voice at about sixty-horse power. 
Ladies and invited guests fared no better than any one else. 
It was a scene notably never to be forgotten by those 
present. 

General Grant' s reception of public school children, 
at Woodward's Gardens, on the 29th, was the most enthu- 
siastic ovation he had yet received. Before eleven o'clock 
not less than twenty thousand youngsters swarmed the 
Gardens, while the street cars were jammed, and thousands 
making their way to the rendezvous on foot. At 1 1 130 the 
General's arrival was heralded by a discharge of cannon, 
and the vociferous cheers of Lincoln school boys, who 
were drawn up at the entrance as a guard of honor. 
Escorted by the Board of Education, he walked between 
the files of children, crowded in every avenue, to the 
pavillion, where a stage had been arranged for the recep- 
tion of the party. Ten thousand boys and girls were 
crowded in the building, and as the General made his 
appearance, the cheers, stamping, whistling and "catcall- 
ing" were deafening, while from every part of the building 
bouquets rained upon the stage and the occupants. After a 
few minutes the enthusiastic youngsters were reduced to 
comparative quiet, when Mr. Heister, President of the 
Board of Education, addressed General Grant as follows: 

"General Grant: Your loyalty to the public 
school system of the United States has impelled the 
school children of San Francisco to extend this special 
greeting. Tlie children, their parents, and the Board of 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 57' 

Education, recognize in you a true and fearless friend of 
popular education, and are proud to look you in the face 
and take you by the hand. Allow me, sir, to present you 
to the children and teachers connected with the public 
schools of San Francisco. These happy faces will tell 
their own story. " 

Another uproarious outbreak of applause followed, after 
which the General addressed his audience to the following 
effect : 

" It is a gratifying sight to witness this evidence of edu- 
cational privileges afforded by this young city. The crowds 
gathered inside and outside this building indicate that 
every child of an age fit for school is provided for. When 
education is universally diffused we may feel assured of the 
permanency and perpetuity of our institutions. The great- 
est danger to our people grows out of ignorance, and this 
evidence of universality of education is the best guarantee 
of your loyalty to American principles." 

More appropriate remarks could not have been made, 
and they deserve to be treasured up by the people as the 
embodiment of a great and incalculably important truth. 
No tampering with popular education should be tolerated 
in any part of the country. In the large cities the danger 
of this is very considerable. 

At the conclusion of his remarks. Gen. Grant and the 
Board of Education made theij- way out of the building, 
and, following the winding avenues of the gardens, pro- 
'ceeded to the great amphitheatre on the other side of the 
grounds. Children by thousands lined the walks, and 
pelted the party with bouquets, while shrill cheers and the 
continual rattle of drums with which each class was pro- 
vided, created a bedlam of noise. On reaching the 
amphitheatre, where at least 20,000 boys and girls were 
massed, the storm of floral missiles became heavier, and, 



572 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

on gaining the stand near the exit, the party proceeded, 
thoroughly dilapidated and crushed in appearance. 

The General took a seat at the front of the platform, 
and the assembled throngs then marched by to enable each 
one to obtain a good look at him. As the enthusiastic 
throng surged by, hundreds of hands were thrust out for a 
passing shake, and the demand for autographs was alto- 
gether beyond the General's ability to supply. The 
shower of flowers was kept up, despite the efforts of teach- 
ers and members of the Board to stay it, and the party 
was almost overwhelmed with these tributes. At least 
20,000 children were present, and, though the teachers 
were able to maintain reasonably good order, it was impos- 
sible to restrain the holiday spirits of the mass within the 
bounds of decorum. 

At I o'clock the young legions were still marching 
past in review with drums, banners, mottoes, and flags, 
while the General maintained his position and faced the 
constant fire of bouquets with his accustomed tenacity and 
pluck. 

At 3 o'clock the General returned to the Palace hotel 
and wrote some private letters. At 4 o'clock he, with his 
family, drove down to Milbrae, where he dined with a 
small party at D. O. Mills' house- returning late in the 
evening to the Palace hotel. 

Gen. Grant and party left Oakland wharf for the Y'o- 
semite Valley at 8:30 A.'M., Sept. 30th. The wharf was 
covered with a dense mass of people. As the train moved 
off three cheers were given. The General occupied a 
special drawing-room car, and accompanying him were Mrs. 
Grant, U.S.Grant, Jr., G. W. Dent, Gen. John F. Miller 
wife, and daughter; Miss Flora Sharon, Miss Jennie Flood, 
and John Russell Young. Throngs of people were gath- 
ered at various way stations. . At Martinez, a salute was 



p^}~f^^5?»^ 




TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



.->/:> 



fired, and near the depot the houses were decorated with 
the National colors. At Antioch, school children were 
drawn up in line upon the depot platform, and waved their 
handkerchiefs as the train moved past. At Stockton, the 
General was welcomed by Mayor Hyat and escorted along 
a line composed of military companies, the Stockton fire 
department, Union veterans, and veterans of the Mexican 
war, to a carriage drawn by four white horses. The pro- 
cession then formed and traversed the principal streets until 
the court house was reached, where there was a concourse 
of several thousand school girls dressed in white, who 
saluted the visitors by waving 'kerchiefs and clapping their 
hands. After passing the procession in review the General 
was driven to the Yosemitc house, where he received the 
prominent citizens. 

At the conclusion of the reception at the Yosemite 
house, the General retired to his apartments. At 4 o'clock 
the distinguished guest and his party entered the dining- 
room to partake of a collation offered by the leading citi- 
zens. After viands had been discussed. Gen. Grant, in 
reply to an address of welcome by Mayor Hyat, said : 

" Gentlemen: I am very much pleased to be back 
in your city once more, which I have not seen in twenty- 
five years. I am very much obliged for the hearty recep- 
tion at your hands, and will say that, though I have been 
here several times, I have never stayed so long before. 
When I was on the Coast before I visited Stockton six 
times, but this is the first time a roof ever sheltered me in 
your city. Among many gentlemen I met to-day was one 
who was sure he knew me at Knight's Ferry in 1849. 
While I would not dispute the gentleman's word, I was. 
never on this side of the Rockies previous to 1853. I wr.s 
only three times at Knight's Ferry in 1S53 and 1854, and 
think some one must have been personating me there. 



2^6 GENERAY U. S. GRANt's 

[Loud laughter.] However, T am glad to meet you to-day» 
and can never henceforth deny being in Stockton in 1S79." 

Dr. G. A. vShurtleff and State Senator Hudson, spoke 
briefly, after which the company broke up. The General 
and party left at 7:20 for the Yosemite, via Madeira, 
which point they reached after midnight, and remaining in 
the sleeping-car during the night, started by stage directly 
after breakfast. 

Previous to his departure from Madeira, the General 
had a brief reception with citizens and residents of Fresno 
City, and among the number who congratulated him upon 
his return to his native land were several Union and Con- 
federate veterans. At Fresno Flat he received further 
congratulatory calls from Fresno County veterans. The 
coach which conveyed the party was handsomely decor- 
ated. Thirty-six horses were used in the trip, six changes 
being made. Upon the arrival of "the distinguished party 
at Clarke's Station they w^ere met at the stage and wel- 
comed by J. B. Bruce and S. Washburn, and escorted to 
the parlor of the hotel. The Mariposa brass band had 
crossed the mountains, a distance of thirty -six miles, to join 
in the ceremonies, playing " Hail to the Chief." Dinner 
followed, after which an informal reception was held in 
the hotel parlors. The General was serenaded, and retired 
at an early hour. 

On the morning of October 3d the General and party 
entered the Yosemite Valley from Clark's Station, the 
General and ISIrs. Grant occupying the front seat of the 
*• coach and six," with the driver, fully determined to view 
the delightful scenery, which the visitors said surpassed 
anything they had observed on the Rhine or in Switzer- 
land. Mrs. Grant was even more pleased than the ex- 
Prcsidcnt, Monroe, the driver, stating to a bystander, " I 
uevcr hauled a lady over these roads who was so enthusi- 
rtbtic." 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



577 



At Lookout Point, whence there is a view of the distant 
San Joaquin Valley and the hazy Coast Range, the stage 
stopped awhile. At Inspiration Point, whence a sight is had 
of the whole valley, the point of view in some of Hill's 
pictures, the stage again stopped, and every one alighted. 
The General mounted the top of the stage, and sat for some 
time viewing the splendid prospect, and evidently appreci- 
ated fully its grandeur and beauty. When all were satis- 
fied, the stage drove down the winding road and on to 
Bernard's seven miles distant. While going through the 
valley, the General allowed no object of interest to escape 
him. He noted all the domes, roads and peaks, and asked 
Monroe about hights and distances. The rest were equally 
delighted. At the lower bridge over the Merced, a dozen 
blasts had been set, which were fired in succession as the 
stage was passing, unrolling terrific echoes. Nearly all the 
population of the valley, including the tourists, were on 
horseback, skurrying all the roads, at the windows, or on 
the porches of the hotels, which were hung with flags and 
liberally adorned with boughs of evergreen. As the stage 
approached Leidig's, the proprietor of the hotel came out 
and tendered the hospitalities of his place to the party. At 
Black's the guests were on the front porch. The stage 
dashed on up to Bernard's, which had been trimmed with 
evergreens and flags, and in many ways given a gala ap- 
pearance, though Mr. Bernard had but a few hours' notice 
of the honor intended him. As the vehicle neared the 
steps, the Mariposa band, brought here for the purpose, 
woke the echoes of the surrounding cliffs with " Hail to 
the Chief." Some cheering followed, and there was a gen- 
eral rush from the neighboring buildings toward the hotel. 
The party were hardly recognizable for dust. There were 
few greetings; all were at once shown to their rooms. 

The following days were spent in exploring and visit- 
ing principal points of interest — Glacier Point, Sentinel 



^■jS GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

Dome, El Capitan, the Three Graces, the Three Brothers, 
Half Dome, North Dome and Yosemite Rock. After 
spending a few as delig-htful days as the General had yet 
seen, he, with his party returned to San Francisco, via of 
the Big Trees and Alariposa and Merced. Arriving by 
special train on the morning of the 7th, after sjDending a 
few hours in the city, the General and party left early 
in the afternoon, with Senator Sharon, for Belmont, whei'e, 
on the following evening, a grand reception was tendered 
him by Senator Sharon. This fete at Belmont was the 
most brilliant gathering that had ever taken place on the 
Pacific Coast. The richness of ladies' costumes, the mag- 
nificence of internal decorations, and the brilliancy of the 
superb grounds, illuminated by thousands of Chinese lan- 
terns, render the scene one of unsurpassed splendor. The 
preparations were worthy of Senator Sharon's reputation. 
Nothing had been omitted to give enjoyment to the guests, 
and lend eclat to the occasion. The picture gallery of 
the museum had been transformed into a vast banqueting- 
room, where, among other preparations for the visitors, 
figured one hundred baskets of champagne and fifteen 
thousand Eastern oysters. Three trains took the city guests 
down. The first, advertised to start at 7:30, left fifteen 
minutes earlier, owing to the number of persons waiting 
on the platform. Some of these had arrived at the depot 
as early as six o'clock. 

Belmont was reached in about an hoin-, and there 
abundance of vehicles had been provided to convey the 
party to the mansion about a mile distant. Considering 
that each train consisted of ten cars, it will be understood 
this was no slight task. Numbers of ladies carried their 
toilets in baskets with them, so that the uninitiated might 
have thought them bent on a picnic excursion. 

Nearly 3,500 guests were present. Dancing and ban- 
queting were the order of the evening. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 579 

At 1 1 o'clock the following morning, Gen. Grant re- 
turned to the city, and at I3 o'clock was received by the 
Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade at the Mer- 
chants' Exchange Building, in a manner exhibiting the 
greatest respect and admiration for the illustrious man. The 
two mercantile societies attended in full force. The rooms 
of the Chamber of Commerce were decorated in a gor- 
geous style for the occasion. Gen. Grant was escorted to 
the platform from the Chairman's desk by the Hon. J. P. 
Jones, and was met there by Governor-elect Perkins, the 
President of the Chamber of Commerce, and Jacob T. 
Taber, President of the Board of Trade, Mr. Jones intro- 
duced the General with these words s 

" Presidents and Members of the Chamber of 
Commerce and Board of Trade: I have the honor of 
introducing a most distinguished citizen of the United 
States, honored at home and abroad, Gen. Ulysses S. 
Grant." 

After enthusiastic cheers. Gov. Perkins made the follow- 
ing address of welcome. 

" General Grant : The merchants of San Francisco, 
represented by the Chamber of Commerce and Board of 
Trade, have the honor to pay you their respects, desiring, 
as merchants, to express their appreciation of your services 
to our common country, recognizing the fact that universal 
pi-osperity is best promoted by domestic and national inter- 
course, and that through commerce and trade the nations 
of the world are brought in most intimate relations, to 
which great end peace is absolutely essential. They regard 
you as the great chieftain whose military genius restored 
domestic peace and civil ^law throughout our country. In 
the hour of triumph your magnanimity did not allow you 
to forget that the good-will of all our countrymen was as 
necessary as the success of the armies under your command. 
When intrusted with the highest office in the gift of the 



5S0 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

people you proved to the world how war could be avoided 
and peace secured by friendly arbitration. We regard you 
as an honorable representative of our Republican citizen- 
ship, more especially to be so esteemed because, although 
successful in our war you have so fully appreciated the ad- 
vantages of peace, while the honors bestowed upon you by 
foreign potentates have never caused you to swerve from 
the path of Republican simplicity and true American citi- 
zenship. The merchants of San Francisco welcome you 
to your native land, wishing you a happy return to youi 
home, many years of happiness, and an old age which shall 
command the continued honor and the reverence of your 
countrymen." 

General Grant replied as follows: 

" Gentlemen of the Chamber of Commerce and 
Board of Trade of San Francisco: I hardly know 
how to express my gratification at the kind and cordial 
reception you, and not only you, but the people in every 
place in the State and city that I have visited have given 
me. There is no question but that the prosperity of the 
country depends upon the class of people you gentlemen 
represent. It requires just such people as we see here to 
make it profitable for a man to labor with his hands; also, 
to make profits for the whole nation. Anybody who has 
been over the world as I have, has seen the degradation to 
which laborers have fallen without some head to guide 
them into the right course. In other countries the laborer 
is sunk far below the poorest and most abject citizen of this 
country. We have not a healthy person in America who 
is willing to work, who is not better off than the best 
laborers in any other country. We need not be envious 
or jealous of any country in the world." 

Applause and hand shaking followed. 

A scroll on which the address of the two associations 
was engrossed in a handsome manner, signed by the 



TOUK AROUND THK WOKI.D. 581 

presidents and secretaries, was presented to the General, 
enclosed in a beautiful cylindrical case of Russia leather, 
with this inscription embossed in gold letters: 

" To General Uo S. Grant, from the Chamber of Com- 
merce and Board of Trade of San Francisco." 

After leaving the Merchants' Exchange the General 
drove to the Palace Hotel, and thence to Front street 
wharf, where a vast crowd had gathered to see him depart 
on the steamer St. Paul for Oregon. 

The steamer and all other shipping in the vicinity were 
gayly decorated. As General Grant went aboard a beau- 
tiful American flag was run up to the masthead. There 
was no cheering among the people, who* seemed sorry to 
have him go. Many distinguished people went on board 
to bill him good-by. The party from the tug, besides the 
General and his wife, included, among others, U. S. Grant, 
Jr., Miss Jennie Flood, ex-Governor Low, wife and daugh- 
ter. Senators J. P.Jones and A. A. Sargent, Lieutenant 
Otis, John Russell Young, Louis Sloss, Captain Niebaum, 
Martin Bulger, Fred. Kabe, C. F. Crocker and Mrs. Mc- 
Dowell and daughter. 

At 2:15 the St. Paul swung gracefully out from the 
wharf, amid waving of handkerchiefs, quiet farewells, and 
admiring remarks of the people. 

The steamer St. Paul, with General Grant and jDarty 
on board, arrived at Portland, Oregon, on the 14th, the 
citizens' committee and members of the press, having joined 
the General at Vancouver. Just before leaving the wharf 
at the latter place for Portland, the Honorable H. W. Cor- 
bitt, chairman of the committee of I'eception, made the fol- 
lowing address of welcome: 

General Grant: I take pleasure in introducing 
to you this committee, and these distinguished oflicers 
and gentlemen. We come to welcome you, and tender 
you the hospitalities of the citizens of Portland; also to 



502 GENERAL U. S. tiRANT S 

the friends that accompany you. We evidently do not 
now welcome the Lieutenant that left us twenty-six years 
ago; neither can we receive you as a Lieutenant-General, 
or as a General of the once great army of the Republic, 
nor as President of these once more united States; but we 
do receive you as a pre-eminently distinguished citizen, 
who has enjoyed all these honors, who has won so many lau- 
rels, and who has worn them with so much modesty and 
grace. It will be the pleasing duty of another to express 
more fully our sentiments, at the general reception tendered 
you Wednesday evening at our new pavilion, where we 
shall have the pleasure of presenting to you friends and 
citizens from all parts of the State and the adjoining terri- 
tory, who desire personally to testify their appreciation of 
you and your valuable services to the nation. You are 
welcome, thrice welcome, to Oregon. It will give us 
pleasure to escort you to our city at your earliest conven- 
ience, where we hope to make your stay pleasant and agree- 
able. 

General Grant replied in a few words, simply express- 
ing his thanks. 

At least twenty thousand persons had assembled in the 
vicinity of the dock, awaiting the arrival of the distin- 
guished guest, amid the thunders of artillery, the clangor 
of bells and the screaming of whistles, the St. Paul came 
alongside her dock. 

General Grant was met at the wharf by Mayor Thomp- 
son, who said: "General Grant, as Mayor of the city of 
Portland, on behalf of the citizens of this city, we extend 
to you welcome, and tender you the hospitalities of Port- 
land." 

General Grant simply replied: "Mayor Thompson, I 
thank you." 

The party were then escorted to carriages in waiting. 
The procession, under charge of Grand Marshal Colonel 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



5«5 



McCracken, at once formed in the following order: Grand 
Marshal and aides, Twenty-first Regimental band, carriage 
containing General Grant, Mayor D. P. Thompson, Gov- 
ernor W. W. Thayer, and General O. O. Howard. The 
first division consisted of forty carriages containing promi- 
nent visitors and officials, Federal, State and military. Fol- 
lowing these came carriages containing officers of the Munic- 
ipal Government of Portland and East Portland, members 
of the Washington Territorial Legislature, and many other 
invited guests from abroad. The second division comprised 
various military companies. United States troops, and four 
militia companies of this city. The third division consisted 
of the entire Fire Departn:ient of Portland, five companies 
with their steam engines gayly trimmed and decked with 
flags and ribbons. The fourth division was composed of 
members of the Grand Army, civic societies and citizens. 

The procession arriving opposite the Central school 
building, were met by two thousand or more school child- 
ren, who were ranged along the sidewalk, dressed in gay 
holiday attire. When the carriage containing General 
Grant came opposite the centre column, the pupils' proces- 
sion halted. Four little girls, each bearing in her hand a 
large and elegant bouquet, stepped forward from the front 
line and advanced to the carriage in which General Grant 
sat, and presented him with the floral offerings. He took 
the tributes and bowed his thanks. When the quartet 
withdrew and resumed their places in line, two thousand 
childish voices immediately struck up the National anthem 
" America." At the close of the singing, the Twenty-first 
Regiment band responded, and rendered an appropriate 
air. 

The procession then resumed its line of march. These 
exercises were witnessed by many thousands, and consti- 
tuted one of the most pleasing and attractive episodes of 
the day's demonstration. Continuing the line line of march, 



5S6 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



the procession moved down Morrison to Front, and down 
that street to the Clarendon hotel, where General Grant 
and party stopped. The city was attired in gay holiday 
trappings. Front and First streets presented to the eye a 
perfect wilderness of flags and bunting for nearly a mile. 
Shipping in the port displayed a profusion of flags and 
streamers on every hand. Enthusiasm assumed a form 
quite extravagant. For hours before the procession 
moved, and during the time it was ni motion, the streets 
were jammed for many blocks by eager and enthusiastic 
thousands. At times the streets were so crowded that the 
procession moved with difficulty. 

In the eveninof the General visited the Mechanics' 
Pavillion, and attended a ball, at which one thousand per- 
sons were present. Here he met many old comrades in 
arms. 

Late in the afternoon of the 15th, General Grant vis- 
ited, by special invitation, several public schools in the city 
in company with Mayor Thompson, Short addresses 
were made by the children, to which the General res- 
ponded. On taking his leave Grant was heartily cheered 
by the children. 

In the evening he was honored with a reception at the 
Cascades, which was an enthusiastic and fitting tribute. 
Eight thousand persons were present. Ex-Senator Corbitt 
welcomed the distinguished party, and was followed by 
Judge Strong in a most hearty manner. General Grant 
responded at some length, alluding to his early residence 
and acquaintance on the Pacific Coast. He concluded : 

" In your remarks you have alluded to the struggles of 
the past. I am glad that they are at an end. It never was. 
a pleasure to me that they had a beginning. The result 
has left us a nation to be proud of, strong at home, and 
respected abroad. Our reputation has extended beyond the 
civilized nations; it has penetrated even in the less civilized 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



587 



parts of the earth. In my travels I have notieed that for- 
eign nations appear to respect us more than we respect 
ourselves. I have noticed the grandeur at which we have 
been estimated by other powers, and their judgments 
should give us a higher estimate of our own greatness. 
They recognize that poverty, as they understand it, is not 
known with us. And the man of comparative affluence, 
with them, is sometimes no better clad or fed than our pau- 
per. Nowhere are there better elements of success than 
on the Pacific Coast. Here those who fought on opposite 
sides during the war are now peacefully associated together 
in a country of which they all have the same right to be 
proud. I thank the people again, through you. Judge 
Strong, for this reception," 

At the conclusion of the response, General Grant was 
presented to the citizens. He remained at the Pavillion 
about an hour, during which time thousands came forward 
and shook hands with the guest. On leaving the Pavillion 
the party proceeded to the Newmarket theatre to witness 
a rendition of the military drama, " Ours." 

On the 1 6th, the General and part}' visited Salem. 
They were met at the depot by a large crowd of citi- 
zens. Members of the Common Council acted as a com- 
mittee of reception, and were in waiting at the depot. 
Mayor G. W. Gray met the Ex-President at the platform, 
and delivered a brief address of welcome, to which a very 
short response was made. The entire party then entered 
carriages and proceeded to the hotel. As the procession 
filed past the* court house. General Grant was saluted by 
pupils with hearty cheers. The procession marched on to 
the hotel, and reaching which, the party alighted from the 
carriages and were conducted into the parlor. An address 
of welcome was delivered by S. C. Adams, to which the 
Ex-President responded in brief and fitting terms. The 
doors of the parlor of the hotel were thrown open, and a 



588 GENKRAL U. S. GRANt's 

general public reception followed. The reception lasted 
about an hour, during which time over one thousand per- 
sons passed through the room and were presented to Gen- 
eral Grant and the other members of the party. At two 
o'clock the reception ended, and the guests were escorted 
to the dining room, where a collation was spread; about 
one hundred and fifty persons sat down to the lunch. 
Among the party were Governor Thayer, R. P. Earhart, 
Secretary of State, and other State officials. Lunch being 
over, the party took carriages, and, preceded by bands, 
marched to the depot, and took a special train for Portland 
at four o'clock. Salem was handsomely decorated in 
honor of the event, and great enthusiasm was manifested. 
General Grant stated that it was the first time he had ever 
visited the city, and expressed himself as being gratified 
with its handsome, thrifty appearance, and the hearty wel- 
come accorded him. 

At Gervais the citizens assembled at the depot, and 
gave Genei"al Grant a hearty welcome. Flags were dis- 
played from many buildings. The train stopped for only a 
few minutes. At Aurora a like enthusiastic welcome was 
given. At Oregon City over one thousand persons had 
gathered at the depot, and received him with deafening 
cheers and strains of music. Mayor Randall appeared on 
the platform, and in a few appropriate words welcomed 
the General, who responded by thanking him. The train 
stopped but a few moments, but hundreds improved the 
opportunity to shake hands with him. 

In the evening he attended a grand sacred concert at 
Turn Halle, given by the Handel and Hayden Society, and 
the following day the entire party sailed on the steamer 
St. Paul for San Francisco. 

On the morning of October 3i, the steamer St. Paul, 
w^ith General Grant and party on board, arrived at San 
Francisco, and the same evening they attended a reception 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 5S9 

at the residence of Charles Crocker. The house was ele- 
gantly decorated for the occasion, and a hrilliant company 
numbering nearly eight hundred were present. 

On the 22d, the General and party visited Vallejo, 
inspected the Mare Island works, and then boarded the 
train for Sacramento, arriving there at one o'clock, p. m. 
All along the route they were heartily greeted at stations, 
and a large concourse of people was at the depot when the 
train arrived at Sacramento. A procession was formed 
which competely filled the neighboring streets. Gov. Irwin 
and Mayor Turner escorted their distinguished visitor to 
a carriage; after marching through the principal streets, the 
procession halted at the Capitol, where the Hon. Henry 
Edgerton delivered an address of welcome. 

General Grant responded, thanking the people of the city 
and State for their warm reception, which was alike at 
every place on the coast which he had visited. He said : 
"Of all the hospitality bestowed, all the honor conferred, 
there has been nothing so grateful to my heart as the recep- 
tions I have received at the hands of the people here. I 
would not say what has been done abroad. It has been 
all that could be done for mortal, but it has not been done 
for me. It has been done for the people whom I see before 
me, — for the people of a great country that is recognized 
abroad as one of the greatest countries of the world. If we 
all — every one of us — could see other countries, as I have 
seen them, we would all make better citizens, or, at least, 
the average of our citizens would be better." 

In the evening. General Grant received in the Assembly 
room, and Mrs. Grant in the Senate Chamber. Twent}' 
thousand people were in and about the building, which, 
with the grounds, was brilliantly illuminated with calcium 
lights, while fireworks were generally displayed during the 
passage of the party to and from the Capitol. Nine 
thousand people shook hands with the General 



59° GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

At ten o'clock the following morning, General Grant 
and invited guests visited the Grammar school to meet the 
veteran soldiers and sailors and their families. He was 
introduced, and informally passed around the room, shaking 
hands with them. The children filed in and sang 
" America." 

After lunch, the party proceeded to Pioneer Hall, where 
General Grant was presented with a certificate of member- 
ship in the Sacramento Society of Pioneers. The General 
returned thanks for the honor conferred, staling that he 
supposed his early participation in the struggles which made 
California a State had made him eligible as a Pioneer. He 
paid a warm compliment to California and her people. 

Members of the society and their families were then 
presented. 

The next place visited was Agricultural Park, where a 
grand militaiy review and sham battle took place. Gen- 
eral Grant there, as elsewhere during the day, entered with 
zest and spirit into tlie entertainment. 

General and Mrs. Grant returned to San Francisco on 
the 24th. At 2 p. M., the General visited the hall of the 
California Pioneei's, and was made a member; thence to 
the Mexican War Veteran's headquarters, and dined with 
Mayor Bryant. In the evening he attended the Pioneers' 
banquet at the Lick House. 

Notwithstanding the lengthy stay of General Grant on 
the Pacific coast, the excitement continued as intense as 
when he arrived five weeks before. Every thing possible 
was done to show him personal respect; and even more 
than this was done to express to the distinguished guest a 
national appreciation of his past services to his country. 
People of all classes and political parties vied with each 
other in their attentions showered upon him. At the resi- 
dences of Senator Sharon, Charles Crocker, Mayor Bryant 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 59 1 

and at the Palace Hotel, elegant entertainments were 
given him, and everywhere even more than imperial 
honors were paid him. He was made an honorary mem- 
ber of the California Pioneers, of the St. Andrews, Cale- 
donian, Army and Navy Clubs, and, in fact, of every 
organization of note on the coast. Wherever he appeared 
he was greeted by an ovation. Fifty thousand people 
attended his public reception at the City Hall, while at 
Sacramento and Oakland the citizens turned out en masse 
on the occasion of his visit to those cities. Elegant, costly 
testimonials of regard were presented to the General and 
Mrs. Grant from admiring friends. 

In the afternoon of the 25th, the General and party, 
with jMayor Bryant, Senator Sharon, and Charles Crocker 
attended an exhibition trot at Oakland, where a large 
crowd greeted the ex-President with cheers. The first 
trot was a field of eight trotters; between the heats St. 
Julian was brought out to beat the best time made by 
Rarus. At the word he passed under the wire at a square 
trot, and for the entire mile made not a slip, finishing in the 
unprecedented time of 2:125^. The result was received 
with prolonged cheering, the General joining with the 
rest. 

In the evening, before his departure for Nevada, a ban- 
quet, more elegant, more numerously attended than any 
ever before given in that city, was tendered him at the 

i Palace Hotel. Invitations were issued to the representa- 
tive men of the coast, and the result was that the banqueting 

t hall was a perfect congress of learned and honored men. 
The banquet was held in the magnificent dining rooms of 
the hotel. These were gorgeously decorated for the occa- 
sion. Rare exotics and flowering plants were there in full 
bloom, the odor from which permeated the air. Mayor 
Bryant presided, and toasted the guest of the evening in 



592 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

an appropriate speech, to which the General responded 
as follows : 

Gentlemen of San Francisco: The unbounded 
hospitality and cordiality with which I have been received 
since I first put my foot on the soil of California has taken 
deep root in my heart. It was more than I could have 
expected; and, while it entailed some little fatigue at times, 
I assure you I have been grateful for it. I have previously 
been in California and on the Pacific coast, but have been 
away a quarter of a century, and when I landed here the 
last time, I found that none of the pioneers had growr 
old, but if I should remain away another quarter of a cen- 
tury, I might be compelled to confess that some of you had 
grown old ; and I want to see you again in your prime and 
youth. 

Gentlemen, in taking my departure, I want to thank 
you all for the farewell reception given me this evening, 
and to express the hope that whether or not I am to have 
the happiness ever to visit j'^our city again, I shall, at least, 
meet one and all of you elsewhere, and if it should not be 
in this life, that it may be in a better country. 

At half p^st eleven o'clock at night, the General's party 
bade good-bye. The company took a special train for 
Nevada, being accompanied to the depot by many citizens. 

General Grant's party arrived at Truckee station at 
about noon the following day. From this point they visited 
Lake Tahoe — one of the most beautiful places on the 
Pacific coast. 

On arrival at the lake, the party was met by a number 
of ladies and gentlemen from Carson. General Edwards 
made a brief speech of welcome, after which the party took 
passage on a small steamer, and in an hour were landed 
at Glenbrook, where an open train, with two engines richly 
decorated, climbed up the mountain side, giving the guests 
a most maofnificent view of the forest lake. 



mi. 



n 




TOUK AUOl'Nr) Tlll<; WOKI.n. 595 

At Summit, only three miles distant from the lake, as 
the bird flics, but nine by rail, carriages were in waiting, 
and Hank Monk, of Horace Greeley notoriety, with four 
prancing greys, drove the General to the capltol of Nevada. 
On arrival there, the city seemed in a blaze. On the prin- 
cipal streets were bonfires twenty feet apart, which gave 
pleasant warmth to the welcome. 

On the 27th, the General visited Virginia City. As 
the train approached the city, they were greeted with a 
chorus of whistles, salutes, firing, anvils and shouts. There 
was a terrific jam at the depot. Mayor Young delivered an 
address of welcome, extending the warm hospitality of a min- 
ing town, the hearts of whose people would on acquaintance 
prove, like the mines, to be warmer as they are explored. Gen- 
eral Grant replied withabowand word of acknowledgment. 
H e was escorted to a carriage, the military forming a hollow 
square about him; the procession moving through the prin- 
cipal streets, they were joined by a large delegation from 
Carson. At the Savage office he i^eviewed the people, of 
whom there was an immense concourse in line. In 
response to persistent calls, the ex-President spoke briefly, 
thanking the citizens for the reception. 

A sumptous lunch was served at 4 o'clock, after which 
the Mexican, Union, and Confederate veterans were 
received. 

In the evening a general reception was given and 
largely attended, followed by a grand banquet. 

On the 28th the General and party, as the guest of Mr. 
Mackey,visited the famous Consolidated Virginia Mine. Af- 
ter donning miners' costumes they entered the three-decked 
cage ; the ladies of the party taking the middle deck. The cage 
was lowered very slowly to the 1750 feet level. After in- 
specting the drifts, the ladies of the party returned to the 
surface, while the rest of the party went down to the 2150 



596 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

feet station, and thence to the 2340 feet station. After thor- 
oughly exploring the different drifts, they returned to the 
surfa',e. General Grant expressed himself as highly pleased 
with his visit. 

While passing through the Assay Office a solid brick o 
gold and silver, four inches long and two and a half wide 
was presented to Mrs. Grant, with the following engraved 
inscription : 

Scavenir of the Consolidated Virginia Mine to 

Mrs. General U. S. GRANT. 

Virginia City, Nev., Oct. 27, 1879. 

Coijnel Fair presented to Mrs. Grant a small phial wiili 
the lr.<^>"iption : 

One-half of my first day's work in California, 
1849. 

Its value in dust did not probably exceed $40, but as a 
souvenir it was beyond price. Before changing their miners' 
dresses a splendid photograph was taken of the party. Af- 
ter bathing and dressing they were driven to the stamp and 
pan mills, where they finished a most instructive day's work. 
In the evening the General visited the hall of the Pacific 
Coast Pioneers, where he was made an honorary member. 
A badge of office and the credentials of the society were 
given him. He was introduced by Dr. Harris. Colonel 
Robert Taylor delivered the address, to which the General 
responded as follows: 

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Members 
OK the Society of Pacific Coast Pioneers: Your 
President has already said what I feel in appreciation of my 
reception here. Nothing which I received abroad was such 
a source of pleasure to me. I do not mean by that to dis- 
parage my greeting abroad. It was honest and hearty, and 
showed the high esteem felt for our country by foreign na- 
tions. It would have been quite different a quarter of a 



TOUK AROUND THE WORLD. 



597 



century ago. Now we are regarded as the most powerful 
nation on the earth. We have much which European na- 
tions have not — that is, we have a popuhition wliich as yet 
does not threaten to crowd any inhabited district or exhaust 
the productiveness of the soil. We have an extensive soil 
and immense undeveloped resources to exhaust before our 
population will become so dense as to make the raising of 
sufficient to live on a serious problem. In this respect we 
have great promise for the future. The fact of the matter 
is, we are more thought of abroad than we think of our- 
selves. Yet, at the same time, we think considerably of 
ourselves, and we are a little conceited over our advantages. 
Newspapers and politicians, however, think there are a good 
many bad people in the world, and that things are on the 
verge of ruin, but I guess we are all right. Still, we can 
be improved. If I was not an American, I would not dare 
to talk like this for fear of being mobbed. I thank you all 
for this kindly expression of your esteem. 

The following day General Grant, accompanied by Gov- 
ernor Kingkead, of Nevada, Colonel James G. Fair, U. S. 
Grant, Jr., Philip Deidenheimer, and a dozen invited guests, 
visited the Sutro Tunnel. Upon arriving at the town of 
Sutro his welcome was emphasized by the ringing of bells 
and blowing of whistles at the company's workshops, and 
by a heavy discharge of giant powder from the mountain 
tops overlooking the town. 

The party were received at the Sutro mansion by Mrs. 
Adolphe Sutro, Superintendent H. H. Sheldon, and the offi- 
cers of the company. After an examination of the works 
of the company at the mouth of the tunnel, and the recep- 
tion of the citizens of the town and vicinity, a sumptuous 
breakfast was served. 

The visitors went to the tunnel under the guidance of 
Superintendent Sheldon, Secretary Young, and Foreman 



598 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

Bluett. The party were placed aboard the cars, and amid 
the cheers of the assembled citizens, disappeared in the dark- 
ness. Quick time was made underground. Shaft No. 1, 
one mile from the entrance, was reached in eight minutes; 
shaft No. 2, two miles fi'om the entrance, in seventeen min- 
utes; and the station of the north lateral tunnel, in thirty- 
five minutes. Here the party left the cars and walked to 
the north header, the better to examine the underground 
workings, and witness the performances of the powerful 
drilling appliances required in driving a work of this char- 
acter. The covered boxes, which convey the steaming hot 
water from the Comstock mines, were also an object of 
considerable interest. 

Returning to the cars the trip was continued to the face 
of the south lateral tunnel, after which the party were 
escorted to the 1640 foot station at the "Savage Incline," 
where they were given in charge of the officers of the Sav- 
age Company, and were hoisted to the surface at Virginia 
City. 

Throughout the entire trip the General evinced great in- 
terest in what he saw. Reconsidered the tunnel one of the 
greatest works of the age. 

Leaving Virginia City on the 29th the General arrived 
at Ogden, Utah, on the 30th. Governor Emery and Gen- 
eral Nathan Kimball welcomed him in addresses, to which 
he responded pleasantly. The special train left after half 
an hour's wait. 

At Laramie 2000 persons had assembled, the train 
stopping for breakfast. 

At Cheyenne, Gov. Hoyt and Gov. Pitkin, with their 
staffs, and prominent citizens of the State, received the Gen- 
eral, and were joined by several hundred members of the G. 
A. R. from Nebraska and other States. There were no 
speeches at Sidney, where a large crowd had collected. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. ^99 

The General was introduced, but excused himself from 
making a sjDCCch. One old fellow in the crowd called out: 
" Old man, you can jest set it down that you've got jest as 
many friends in this Western country as anywhere else," 
to which General Grant good-humoredly replied that he 
was glad to hear that. The crowd gave him three cheers. 
It was then that the most curious incident of the reception 
occurred. One of the bumpkins, who must have been 
slightly muddled, sang out: " General, I'm from Connecti- 
cut, and when you go back there, tell 'em you saw out 

West a from the old Nutmeg State." Grant, with 

great dignity, simply replied, " You should never swear. 
It has been a principle of mine never to swear at any time 
in my life." The reprimand was an effective one, and the 
fellow slunk away abashed. 

At Central City, Clark, Silver Creek, Jackson and 
Columbus he found a hearty welcome. At Schuyler, State 
Senator Clarkson, brother of Bishop Clarkson,2iresented an 
address of welcome. The General replied: 

Senator : I am very much obliged for the kind words 
which you have said on behalf of your people of this prairie 
town, and I only express the gratification I have felt at all 
other points in your State through which we have passed, 
when I say that apparently you have all been out. I am 
glad to see this prairie State growing as it appears to be, 
the ground being dotted all over with farms and prosperous 
villages, and I hope that you may realize your expectations 
after the census af iSSo, in having at least three Represent- 
atives in the Lower House of Congi'ess. I thank you, 
gentlemen, for your attendance and your kindness. 

At North Bend, Millard's, a like cordial reception was 
given. As the train approached Omaha a salute of artillery 
announced the General's arrival. At the Union depot an 
immense crowd had assembled. The Grand Army, the 



600 GENERAL U. S. GRAXT'S 

Ninth U. S. Infantry, headed by their regimental band, 
formed the escort. Gov. Nance, Mayor Chase, and Gen- 
eral Crook riding with the General. 

The order of the procession was as follows: 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Platoon of Police. 

Battalion Ninth Infantry and Ninth Infantry Band. 

Section of Battery. 

Company G Second Regiment, N. S. M. 

SECOND DIVISION. 

Union Pacific Band. 
Fire Department. 

THIRD DIVISION. 

Brandt's Band. 
Leyran Singing Society. 
Union Pacific Shopmen. 

Civic Societies. 
Mannerchor. 

FOURTH DIVISION. 

University Cadets with their Band. 

Grand Army of the Republic. 

Carriages containing Gen. Grant, party, escort and prominent 

citizens. 

FIFTH DIVISION. 

City Band. 

Company H, Second Regiment, N. S. M. 

Trade representatives. 

The line of march was through the principal streets. 
Crowds from Lincoln, York, Nebraska City, Fremont and 
adjacent towns, made up the enthusiastic throng. The 
decorations on the line of the route were generous in num- 
bers and attractive in display. 

At Capitol Hill an address of welcome by Gov. Nance, 
was brief and eloquent. 

General: On behalf of the State of Nebraska I 
extend to you a cordial greeting to Omaha, that vigorous 
young metropolis of the West. Nebraska is pre-eminently 
a patriotic State. A vast majority of our pioneers were 



TOUR AROUND THE WOULD. 6oi 

with you during your marches, and helped achieve your 
victories at Donaldson and Shiloh, and the Wilderness, and 
finally at the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. Doubtless 
every regiment in every corps has its representative on 
Nebraska soil. As their confidence in you never wavered 
in the dark and troubled hours of the Nation's peril, I bid 
a double welcome to Nebraska to-day. 

Mayor Chase in behalf of the city, said: 

General Grant: A very agreeable duty has devolved 
upon me upon this occasion, that of giving you welcome to 
our city. Since you were here four years ago, on this very 
spot where we stand, and addressed the school children, we 
are aware that you have traveled in foreign lands, that you 
have traveled at home, and made yourself as familiar with 
other countries as you were already with this, and we know 
full well the result of your travels. We are aware that the 
comity and amity of foreign nations has been greatly 
increased, and that their relations to this country have been 
favored by the fact that you have socially and freely had 
intercourse with those peoples abroad, and we are aware 
too, that our people throughout the United States have 
watched your progress wherever you have gone, from 
place to place, and from port to port, with the deepest 
interest, and you know full well, sir, with what gratitude 
American hearts have beat from the fact that you have been 
everywhere welcomed, not only as an American citizen, 
but as a representative of this Republic, both for your per- 
sonal merits and virtues. 

And now. General, permit me to say that, while this 
little city of 30,000 people is not capable of presenting to 
you such external decorations as you have witnessed in your 
travels you have nowhere been where warmer hearts beat 
for your welfare, and where more grateful greetings were 
extended to you. With gratitude to the kind Providence 



6o2 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

that has watched over you and yours in your travels, we 
remember with the greatest pleasure that you have returned 
to us to greet us once more. And now, sir, on behalf of 
this young citj^, I bid you again and again welcome, wel- 
come, welcome. 

Turning to the audience the Mayor presented General 
Grant to their view, and the air resounded with cheers 
for several minutes. As it ceased General Grant said: 

Ladies and Gentlemen of Nebraska and of 
Omaha: It would be impossible for me to make any 
number of you hear a word if I had anything very special 
to say. It is cold and windy, and there are multitudes 
waiting, and I will only say a few words, and that to 
express the gratification I feel at meeting you all here 
to-day. I state to you in addition how glad I am to get 
back again once more upon American soil. Wherever I 
have been in all my travels in the last two and a half years 
I have found our country most highly spoken of, and I 
have been, as a sort of representative of the country, most 
elegantly entertained. For the many kindnesses that I 
have received at the hands of foreign nations and Princes 
I feel gratified myself and I know that all of you do. The 
welcome given to me there has been a welcome to this grand 
Republic, of which you are all equal representatives with 
myself. As I have had occasion to say several times before 
since my ariival in San Francisco, we stand wdil abroad, 
infinitely better than we did twenty ygars ago, as a nation 
and as a people; and as a result of that to-day the credit of 
the United States in the European market is higher than 
that of any other country in the world. We are there 
more highly appreciated than we appreciate ourselves as a 
vvIk^Ic, and I can and will say that as individuals we do not 
think well enough of ourselves. Gentlemen, I say again 
that I am highly gratified at meeting you here to-day, and 
thank you. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 603 

The welcome was most cordial and enthusiastic. A 
public reception at the Custom House followed. In the 
evening a banquet at the Withnell House, at which 60 or 
more prominent citizens participated, this wound up the 
day and the General left immediately afterwards for Fort 
Omaha as the guest of General Crook. 

On Sunday, Nov. 2, General Grant, General Crook, and 
escort, attended the First Methodist Church, where serv- 
ices were held. The church was filled to overflowing by 
regular worshipers and those drawn together out of curi- 
osity to see the distinguished guest and visitor. The edifice 
was profusely decorated with banners, flags, evergreens, 
festoons and autumn leav es, and a small banner bearing the 
legend "Welcome" in bright gilt letters. 

General Grant and escort were given a reserved seat well 
in front. 

The opening prayer was made by Rev. James Haynes. 
In the closing invocation he referred to the more than ordi- 
nary character of the occasion, rendered extraordinary, in 
fact, by the presence of a distinguished fellow-citizen, who 
had been feted and honored all around the world; who was 
now returning in safety, and whose pleasure it was to wor- 
ship with God's people to-day. They were thankful he 
was able to be with them, and the reverend gentleman 
prayed that he might always be on the side of virtue and 
religion; that his influence might always be on the side of 
right and justice, and that God's special blessing might rest 
on him and those who worshiped with him. 

The sermon was delivered by Rev. J. B. Maynard, pas- 
tor of the church, and was an able discourse on the origin 
of the Christian Church, and an interposition of Divine 
Providence in the affairs of men. His illustrations on the 
latter head were singularly striking. " It wasn't the peo- 
ple," he said, "who selected Mr. Lincoln to guide the 



604 GENERAL U. W. GRANT's 

Nation In the hour of its peril. He was brought forward 
and placed at the head of tlie Government by One who 
knew the coming evils, and who selected him to guide the 
Nation through the impending storm. The same is true," 
continued the reverend gentlemanj " in regard to leading 
minds in and out of Congress, and eminently so in I'egard 
to the commanders of our army and navy. How blind 
most of their appointments, and how uncertain in conse- 
quence were our battles and campaigns! But at the right 
time, how strongly did an unseen power bring forward the 
men, and especially the one g7'eat co/Jimander to lead our 
armies through carnage and strife to final triumph of lib- 
erty! How clearly are God's acts vindicated! No matter 
how obscure and unpretending, God chose him, and we at 
once saw in him the man for the emergency. Thus did 
Omnipotent wisdom adjust the conditions of our final suc- 
cess." 

The allusion was, of course, clear to everybody, inclu- 
ding General Grant himself, though his immobile features 
would never have revealed it. — 

At the conclusion of the service the General and escort 
passed out first, and the pious and curious ones vied with 
each other to shake the hero's hand. 

General Grant's eastern journey was resumed on the 3d. 
General and Mrs. Grant, Col. and Mrs. Fred Gi'ant, and 
daughter left Fort Omaha about 8 o'clock, under the 
escort of the oificers of the garrison. Companies G and H, 
Ninth Infantry, and the Ninth Infantry Band. The party 
and escort were met at the Withnel House by the Nebraska 
Grand Army of the Republic boys and the Citizens' Recep- 
tion Committee. General Grant, Mayor Chase, and C. W. 
Mead, of the Union Pacific, rode together in a carriage to 
the depot, where a large crowd had collected to see the 
party off. The train was standing inside the Union depot, 



IrOUR AROUND TilK WOULD. 605 

and its particularly handsome appearance made it the cyno- 
sure of all eyes. D. W. Hitchcock, General Western Pas- 
senger Agent of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, had 
laid himself out as he never did before to do something that 
would be memorable, and would redountl to the credit of 
the road he represents. 

Very little time was lost after the party reached the 
depot. The troops were drawn up on the right 
of the train, forming a passage through which the 
escort led General Grant and private party. The crowd 
cheered itself hoarse. The engine-bell rang, the band 
played "Marching Through Georgia," and at 9:55, amidst 
all the display of enthusiasm, the train moved out of the 
depot, and was soon on its way over the big bridge, out of 
Nebraska, and nearing Iowa. When it reached tlie middle 
of the bridge, General Manderson, who, with a number of 
the Nebraska Grand Army boys, had remained on board, 
formally transferred the party to the care of the Iowa 
Grand Army boys, who were represented by Major A. A. 
Perkins, of Burlington, Post Department Commander of 
Iowa. General Manderson was in his usually happy vein, 
and his speech was as follows: 

Comrade Perkins: At their eastern terminus of the 
Union Pacific Railroad and the Eastern boundary of the 
State of Nebraska and in the middle of that classic stream, 
the Big Muddy, I have the pleasant duty to perform, of 
turning over to you the duty of escorting comrade Grant 
through the State of Iowa. I hope your journey will be 
as pleasant as ours was through the State of Nebraska, and 
wish you and your comrades good luck and continued 
prosperity. 

Major Perkins, in a brief reply, accepted the trust. 
As the train drew up at Council Bluffs, a large crowd 
welcomed it with cheers upon cheers. They were here 



go6 GENERAL U. S. GRANT*S 

joined by Gov. Gear and Col. Griswold, Department Com- 
mander G. A. R., where formal speeches where made. Col 
Griswold welcomed the General in the following address:* 
General Grant: Knowing you would pass through 
our Department on your way home from your trip around 
the world, the Grand Army of the Republic, at our last 
semi-annual meeting, resolved to welcome you at our 
borders and escort you through the lines. We are here 
to perform that pleasant duty. I have the pleasure of in- 
troducing to you as such escort the officers and comrades of 
the Posts of the Department and the Chief Executive of 
our Commonwealth. 

General Gear welcomed the General as follows: 
General Grant: On behalf of our people, I bid 
you welcome to the Commonwealth of Iowa, a welcome 
not alone to the soldier, who in the Nation's hour of 
supreme peril carried its flag to victory, nor yet to the 
public servant who in a critical period of this country's 
history, occupied the highest office, but also the illustrious 
citizen who, after many years of continuous and arduous 
labor in his country's service, has been enjoying a well- 
earned rest in visiting the people of the Old World, in 
seeing new phases of human life, and in returning home 
bringing an increase of honors to his country in the 
attention he has received at the hands of rulers and the 
people of other lands. To me, sir, is also allotted the 
pleasant duty of extending to you a hearty welcome in 
behalf of the Grand Army of the Republic of the 
Department of Iowa, whose membership is composed of 
your old comrades in arms, most of whom have followed 
you in many a perilous campaign, and shared with you the 
triumphs of many well-fought battle fields. From all 
parts of this Commonwealth they went forth to swell the 
ranks of the historic Army of the Tennessee, whose fame is 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 607 

SO impcrishably bound up with yours, and so inseparably a 
part of the Nation's brilliant military record. The men of 
that army, and many others of many remote regions here 
to-day, and all over our State, feel themselves to have been 
honored in your person in all parts of the world, and your 
brave comrades rejoice at the safe return of their renowned 
leader to his native land, a joy in which all of our people 
participate. We welcome, then with a glad welcome, you 
to our State, in the affection of wdiose people you have 
ever held a distinguished place. A hearty welcome to the 
soldier, statesman and citizen. 

General Grant replied: 

Gov. Gear, AND Gentlemen of the Grand Army 
OF THE Republic: I am very glad to meet you here, and 
I accept the escort which you have tendered me with great 
pleasure, having had your escort on former occasions when 
your protection was highly necessary. On this occasion I 
hope it will be a more joyous one than on previous occa- 
sions referred to. I believe that we might go through this 
State even without an escort, and with an escort with- 
out arms we are perfectly secure. Governor, it's not nec- 
essary for me to say more on this occasion than to thank 
you and the citizens of Iowa, not only for their escort, but 
for their good will, as expressed by you. 

At Red Oak, Villasco, and Creston the General was 
received with enthusiastic and hearty ovations from the 
whole populace. At the latter place, in response to the 
address of the Mayor, he said : 

Citizens of Creston: I am very glad to meet the 
people of this State in your city. I looks very much as 
though a great many people had settled here within a very 
few years. My recollection is that the last tim.e I crossed 
this part of the state, the praries had very little upon then' 
except grass and prairie chickens. Now you have 



6o8 GENERAL U. S, GRANT S 

got people enough to stamp out the prairie chickens and 
to produce from the soil millions of bushels of grain to 
support and sustain human life, and make America pros- 
perous. I am very glad to see all these citizens assembled, 
and glad to be among you." 

Brief stops were made at Murray and Osceola, At Cha 
iton he was received by all the school teachers and scho 
children in the place. Col. Duncan welcomed the Genera 
At its close, a novel portion of the reception awaited hit 
A precocious little girl of six years, Mary Cushman b^ 
name, who was held in her teachei-'s arms, presented 
Grant with a boquet, and in an innocent, childish verse, 
made him a little speech, which closed with a wish that he 
would " always love and remember his country." Grant 
kissed the little thing, who appeared to realize that it was 
the proudest moment of her young life. 

At Albia, Chillicothe, Ottumwa and Mount Pleasant, 
vast crowds had collected. It was dark, and huge bonfires 
were sending out weird glare; the decorations and crowds 
surging to and fro showed off well in the light of the bon- 
fires. 

At Burlington the reception was one of the noisiest, 
liveliest and most brilliant on the route. 

As the train entered the city they were received by long 
and piercing blasts from all the locomotives in the city, 
church and fire bells, salutes, and the display of fire-works, 
numerous bonfires and illuminations of nearly all the house 
windows, the great cheering crowds — all added to the noise 
and fury, and proclaimed a joyous welcome. The General 
was met by the mayor, who addressed his guest as follows: 

General Grant: Burlington bids you welcome. The 
formal words of greeting fall from my lips, but they find 
sympathetic response in every heart in this great assem- 
blage. If all these spoke, one word would rise and fill the 



TOUR AROL/ISO THE WORLD. 609 

autumn air with its glad chorus, until the rocks and cliflfs of 
old Flint Hills would send back the cordial, hearty tones in 
re-echoing refrain the one word, " welcome." We have 
been deeply interested in the magnificent ovations and 
receptions that have been tendered ^-ou in the many lands 
that you have visited. They have been given you as a 
plain American citizen without rank, position or credentials. 
Your fame, however, as a warrior and a statesman preceded 
you, and each nation was proud to render you the homage 
due to one who had occupied and discharged the highest 
trusts in the Government of the United States wSth honesty 
and fidelity. The tones of welcome do not weaken as you 
journey towards your old home, but every city, town and 
hamlet on your route, from West to East, vie with each 
other in making the welkin ring with their shouts of wel- 
come to our distinguished fellow-citizen." 

General Grant replied: 

"Ladies and Gentlemen: The welcome I have 
received since coming into Iowa is exceedingly gratifying. 
I have seen a population in crossing your State, on a single 
line of railroad greater than that of the State a quarter of a 
century ago. This is remarkable, and shows a growth and 
enterprise in this great State that is most gratifying. The 
impossibility of making one hear all my remarks will force 
me to do as I have seen them do in Washington. I will 
ask permission to have my speech printed." 

The speech was received with cheers and laughter by the 
crow^d. The ex-President and escort were invited to car- 
riages, and line of march taken up to the Mayor's house. 
The decorations encountered on every hand excited uni- 
versal admiration. The party proceeded with its escort 
through the principal streets to Mayor Adams' residence, 
where, as soon as possible thereafter, its members retired to 
rest. 



6lO GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

The following morning General Grant, Governor Gear 
and Mayor Adams drove round Burlington's numerous 
iiills. At noon a recejition was given to Iowa journalists 
at the IJaivkcye office; here the General was presented with 
a copy of the Haivkeye printed on silk; this was followed at 
1 : 30 p. M. by an elegant repast at the Mayor's residence, and 
later, by a public reception at the Barrett House, Mrs. Gi"ant 
holding a reception at the Mayor's house, where were 
assembled the beauty and elite of the city to do her honor. 
The reception at the Barrett House over, the General 
and escort visited the High School building, where 6,000 
school children of all ages, their teachers and members of 
the school board had collected. C. B. Parsons, president of 
the school board, extended a formal welcome, to which 
General Grant replied: 

"Members of the School Board, and Scholars 
OF the City of Burlington, Iowa: It does me great 
pleasure to meet and see 5,000 or more of the school chil- 
dren of the city of Burlington. I think that if ever there 
is another war in this country it will be one of ignorance 
versus intelligence, and in that battle the State of Iowa will 
achieve a grand victory. Furthermore, I thmk that 
that war will be one of ignorance and superstition combined 
against education and intelligence, and I am satisfied that 
the children here will enroll in the army of intelligence and 
wipe out the common enemy, ignorance. I thank you for 
your kind attention." 

A vast chorus of young, fresh voices then sang "Amer- 
ica" The General was apparently much taken with the 
undisguised heartiness and earnestness of the reception he 
met. After a long season of hand-shaking, at 4 o'clock thg 
ex-President returned to the Mayor's residence, where final 
preparations were made to resume the journey. A large 
crowd had collected at the depot, and cheered him as he 



Toun Around the world. 6it 

.ascended the steps. While the bands played and cheers of 
the people the train moved off. 

At INIonmouth a large crowd had assembled at the depot, 
and a dozen bonfires illuminated the scene. Capt. Walker 
introduced General Grant, who said : 

" Gentlemen: I am very glad to get back to Illinois 
again, and very glad to see you all, but I have a great deal 
of sympathy with these press-men who are along with us, 
and who take down every word I say. I am a man of 
economy, I believe in economy, and thev telegraph every 
word I say, and I want to save them expenses." 

At Galesburg the biggest kind of a reception awaited the 
party. Mayor Greenleaf introduced the General to the 
crowd, numbering at least 5,000 people. General Grant 
responded as follows: 

"Ladies and Gentlemen: It would be impossible for 
me to make myself heard by all of you or a large fraction 
of you, even if I was in the habit of public speaking. I 
will do no more, therefore, than thank you for turning 
out at this time of night to welcome me on my way home, 
and I will say to you that in the two and a half years that 
I have been away from you I have had a very pleasant 
time. I have seen a great many pleasant people, and I 
have been very well received at every place I have been as 
a mark of respect and honor to the great country which you 
help to make up. But, as 1 have had frequent occasion to say 
since my return to my own country, I appreciate the welcome 
which I received from the sovereigns of my own country 
above all other receptions that they gave us elsewhere. I 
have had the pleasure of seeing the people of Galesburg 
out on one other occasion. I passed through in 1S6S, when 
I thought all the people in the city were about this spot. I 
am very glad to see you all again to-night." 

The speech was received with cheers, but it was onljr 



6l2 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

heard by those standing very near one side of the platform, 
and, when the General stepped to the other side of the 
platform, the crowd on that side cried out, "Speech!" 
"Speech!" "General, only a few words." 

General Grant said: 

" My Friends: I have only been in Illinois one hour, 
and during that time I have already made two speeches, 
and feel talked out." 

A voice in the crowd — " We didn't hear the one you 
made here, General." 

General Grant — " Well some one," (indicating a reporter 
back of him), ^' will be pretty sure to print what I said. 
You can buy a copy of the morning paper and find it all." 

There were loud cries for Mrs. Grant, who appeared on 
the platform. She simply bowed, and soon retired; the 
train then again started, and a final three cheers were given 
as they moved on. 

A short stop was made at Yates City, where the Gen- 
eral was enthusiastically received by those in waiting. 

Owing to the lateness of the hour the train was run 
down to Lombardville, some twenty-five miles off the main 
line, and run on to a side track until the following morning; 
the distinguished party having a two-fold object, to get the 
election returns unmolested by a large crowd of people, a 
skillful operator having been taken aboard at Galesburg, 
and a good night's rest. Early the following morning the 
train was run back upon the main line of the Chicago, Bur- 
lington and Quincy, arriving at Mendota at 9: 20 a. m. Mr. 
Potter, Captain Walker and General Hitchcock, of the 
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, turned the General and 
his party over to the Illinois Central Railroad. These 
gentlemen, who had been tireless in energy, lavish in 
expenditure, and delicate in their attentions to their distin- 
guished guest, received the warmest thanks. 



rOVn AKOUND THE WORLD. 6 1 ■J 

At Mendota vast crowds swarmed about the dej^ot, 
whose cheers, united to the thunder peals of ordinance, 
conspired to make the noisiest and heartiest kind of wel- 
come. A local reception committee were on hand, while 
Company F, Twelfth Battalion National Guards, under 
command of Capt. Ingalls, was drawn up on the platform. 
A line was formed, and General Grant passed through it, 
escorted by Gov. Gear, Collector Crocker, Ivlayor Hastings, 
Mr. Ruggles, and took seats in the first carriage. The 
procession formed with two bands at its head, followed by 
one platoon of militia in advance and one in the rear of 
the first carriage. The other carriages, containing the 
balance of the party and citizens followed, and the proces- 
sion wound its way along the finely decorated streets to 
the First Baptist Church, where it halted. Arches had 
been erected over its front doors, under which the General 
passed, being made of flags and evergreens, bearing in laro-e 
letters the word " Welcome." General Grant and escort 
passed up the church-aisle to the pulpit, whicli had been 
enlarged and handsomely decorated with flowers, flags and 
evergreens. An arch over its edge bore simply the woi'd 
"Grant." The church was filled to overflowing with 
citizens generally, and a large delegation of school-children. 
Mayor Hastiiigs and General Grant rose from the sofa 
where they had sat down, and Mendota's Executive 
delivered the following address of welcome: 

"General Grant: In behalf of the citizens of 
Mendota and vicinity, indeioendent of party, I congratulate 
you upon your safe return to the State of Illinois and the 
near arrival to your home. We have read with the 
greatest interest of the honorable manner in which you 
have been received by the governments that you have 
visited, and are happy to realize t' at your distinguished 
services to your country were a's fuiiy appreciated abroad 



6i4 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



as they are at home. In your reception this morning the 
citizens of this city and vicinity have turned out en masse 
to greet you, manifesting the same enthusiasm, in the 
appreciation of your distinguished services in the field and 
as President of this great republic, as had greeted you from 
San Francisco to this jooint. We sincerely hope that your 
life may be long protracted, and that you may always 
realize the deep affection of a grateful public for the services 
you have rendered your country." 

General Grant responded as follows: 

" Citizens of Men dot a : The receptions which I have 
received on myreturn to my own country, upon my first 
arrival at San Francisco up to Mendota, have been to me 
gratifying. The receptions referred to abroad have been a 
mark of respect that foreign nations feel for the United 
States as a country, aild for its citizens as energetic, progres- 
sive and independent people. The honor has been yours, 
and not mine. In getting back now, to my own home, I 
feel especially gratified to meet the citizens of my own 
state, and to be welcomed by them. I am sure I shouldn't 
want to stay long in Illinois if I didn't feel that I could 
have had a good feeling and a reception of the people of this 
State. In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for 
what I see here, before me, this morning, and tor the words 
which have just been heard." 

Hand shaking to an almost unlimited extent closed the 
reception at the church, after which the General was 
escorted back to the depot. Here the guests were joined by 
a large party of friends from Chicago, who had come 
down by special train to meet him and attend the reception 
at Galena, also by Gov. Cullom, who was greeted warmly 
l)y the General. Gov. Cullom after silencing the noisy 
crowd addressed General Grant in the following speech of 
welcome. 



TOUR AROUND TlIK WORLD. 61=5 

" Generai, Grant: On behalf of your old friends who 
are here present, and in the name of the people of 
the State of Illinois, I extend to you and to your 
family a sincere and heartfelt welcome home. This great 
central valley is proud to acknowledije you as the 
most honored and best-beloved of all her living sons. 
Eighteen years ago you left us in the service of our common 
country, at the head of the Twenty-first brave regiment of 
Illinois Volunteers. I need not recite to those present who 
join in the greeting, the well-known story of your progress. 
We have followed you every step, through all the 
dark days, which ended in the glorious success of the 
army of the Union, and which gave to you that which 
you so richly deserved — the position of General of the 
Army. Later, you were twice called to the highest civil 
otlice of the nation. Illinois at each time gave to you her 
voice in no uncertain tones. When you laid aside the cares 
and toils of office, and sought in foreign travels the rest and 
recreation which you so much needed, your fellows-citizens 
from your own State, have thrilled with pride and pleasure 
when they saw the recognition of your services to civilization 
and the age, of your abilities as a chieftain and a ruler, and 
of your virtues as a man by all the great and good of the 
entire world. Our pleasure and pride in following you 
from shore to shore, when nation vied with nation and 
princes with princes to do you honor, have not been 
lessened by any fear that all this adulation would in any 
way hurt you. We had an abiding confidence that the time 
would come when you would return among us, that same 
quiet, modest man whom we had last known, to assume 
your position and take your place as a private citizen. And 
in that place I want to remind you that one of your chief 
duties is to hold yourself in readiness when your country calls 
for your exertions either in the Cabinet of the nation or in 



6l6 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

the field. Again, in behalf of your old friends present, and 
in the name of the whole people of the great Republic, I 
welcome you home. 

General Grant's reply was a practical verification of 
Governor Cullom's remark, that adulation could not hurt 
him. Without apparently noticing the Governor's allusion 
to what the future might bring forth, he responded : 

" Governor : I thank the citizens of the State of Illinois, 
and I thank you, for the welcome you have extended to 
me. I shall make no further remarks now. Having been 
received in one of the churches of this city by the popula- 
tion of Alendota, and having already had an opportunity of 
taking, I think, nearly everybody by the hand, I will there- 
fore reserve any thing further that I have to say for another 
occasion." 

Gov. Cullom proposed three cheers for General Grant, 
which were given with a yell and hurrah that must, indeed, 
have assured the General of his welcome, if anything more 
were necessary. 

The train moved off amid the cheers and hurrahs of 
thousands of people. The first stop was at Amboy, where 
a great crowd had assembled; a brief stop was made at 
Dixon, where the General spoke briefly. On the arrival of 
the train at Polo it was boarded by a reception committee 
appointed by the citizens of Galena. At Forreston, Free- 
port and Warren, large and enthusiastic crowds had col- 
lected. The approach to Galena for miles swarmed with 
people, who cheered and waved their handkerchiefs as the 
train flew by. Galena, the General's old home, was reached 
at 3:20 p. M., and the trip overland came to a temporary 
stop. 

A salvo of artillery greeted General Grant as he entered 
his old home, and 10,000 citizens gathered at the depot 
and on the streets adjoining to give a royal welcome to 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



619 



America's most distinguished liviitg citizen. The crowd 
pressed back and forth, and there was some trouble about 
the landing; but in a few minutes this was adjusted, and 
way was made for General Grant to his carriage. The 
depot of the Illinois Central is located in East Galena, 
while the city proper is on the other side of the river. 
When the General had reached his carriage, a procession 
was formed. The hour was late, and there was no time to 
lose if the business of the day was to be finished before 
nightfall. The procession was formed as follows: 

Veterans bearing colors of the old Forty-fifth Illinois 

Volunteer Infantry, better known as the 

Washburne Lead Mine 

Regiment. 

Gen. W. R. Rowley, the only living member of General 

Grant's Individual Staft", and Chief Marshal 

of the Day. 

Gen. John C. Smith, State Treasurer, commanding the 

Militia, and Capt. J. W. Luke, Aid and 

Assistant Marshal. 

Two Companies of the Third Illinois Militia. 

An Iowa Militia Company with Band, etc. 

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Veteran Association of Jo 

Daviess County. 

The Veteran Corps of Dubuque, Iowa. 

The Dyersville, Iowa, Veteran Club. 

Crippled Veterans of tlie War, in carriages. 

Knights of Pythias from Dubuque and Galena. 

Liberty and Neptune Fire Companies. 

The carriage, drawn by four grey horses, which bore 

General Grant, Gov. Cullom, Senator 

McClellan, and Mayor 

Hunkins. 

Distinguished visitors and well-known citizens in 

carriages. 

A thousand citizens, many being old veterans. 

The procession moved rapidly through the priu^ipal 
streets to the corner of Main and Green streets, where a 



620 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

grand stand had been erected. Stretching across the street 
from the De Soto House to the stand was an arch, embowered 
in green. On one side it bore the mottoes, " From Galena 
to Appomattox Court House." " From Galena to the White 
House." "From Galena Around the World;" and also 
the words, " Welcome to Your Home, General." On the 
other side was the motto, " Loved at Home and Honored 
Abroad," and the names of "Grant," " Sherman," " Sher- 
idan," " Rawlins." The whole was surmounted by a 
carved eagle, formerly the property of the Grey Eagle fire 
company. It was about 4:15 when the head of the proces- 
sion halted in front of the grand stand, and the vast crowd 
there assembled set up a welcoming cheer. At last every 
thing was in readiness for the oratorical features of the 
reception. After an address of welcome from the Mayor, 
State Senator McClellan addressed General Grant, as 
follows: 

"General: The Mayor and your fellow-citizens of 
Galena have assigned to me the pleasing duty of tendering 
you, in their name and on their behalf, a hearty welcome 
liome again. Without distinction of party, sect, or nation- 
ality, all your neighbors and townsmen give you cordial sal- 
utation, and hail your return to your old home with joy and 
profound satisfaction. They are deeply sensible of the 
honor you do them in continuing to make this city your res- 
idence, and they will be only too happy to contribute so far 
as they may be able to render your stay here profitable and 
agreeable. You, sir, have been the recipient of many ova- 
tions, remarkable alike for their spontaneous heartiness and 
their almost imperial magnificence. Your journey from the 
Golden Gate to this place has been one continual triumphal 
progress, marked everywhere by demonstrations of honor, 
respect, admiration, and homage, never heretofore accorded 
to a private citizen in this country. We in Galena cannot 



tOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 63 1 

vie with those splendid displays. We are too poor, and too 
few for that. In our little city we cannot give you the 
plaudits of hundreds of thousands of people : we cannot erect 
triumphal arches emblazoned with gold and silver; we are 
not able to provide royal banquets with princely service, but 
we are able and glad to give you the homage of honest, lov- 
ing and loyal hearts. 

" We can and do give you and your family a supremely, sin- 
cere and heartfelt welcome. Other cities may make grander 
and more imposing demonstrations, but be assured, sir, that 
no people in all this broad land are so glad to see you as are 
your fellow-citizens of Galena. None greet you with a 
warmer affection, none can be more proud of you, your 
achievements and your fame, and we come to-day in our 
own humble fashion, with none of that pomp and pageantry 
to which you are accustomed on like occasions, to give ex- 
pression, as best we may, to the delight and satisfoction we 
feel in seeing you once more among us; to testify the love 
and respect we have for you as a man and a fellow-citizen, 
and the honor and esteem we entertain for you as a soldier 
and a statesman. 

" In the dark days of iS6i you left us to fight the battles 
of your country. Your career since then has become a large 
part of that country's most interesting and eventful history. 
The nation's integrity vindicated and the Union I'estored, 
the highest military honors a grateful people could bestow 
were lavished upon you. Twice have the suffrages of a 
free people placed you in the highest civil position in their 
gift, a position more honorable than that of a King or Em- 
peror, inasmuch as it is not determined by the accident of 
birth, but given as the reward of genius and ability, patriot- 
ism, and public service. As a private citizen you have just 
made the circuit of the globe. Nothing could equal the 
courtesies and distinctions you received from the powers ol 



632 GENERAL U, S. GRANT S 

the old world, save the modesty, good sense, and demo- 
cratic simplicity which characterized your reception of 
them. Imperial splendors, the glitter and glare of royalty, 
never for a inoment dazzled your republican vision. The 
guest of kings and prime ministers of extended empires, you 
bore yourself with the quiet dignity of an American citizen. 
The just compliments of the titled and great to your illus- 
trious services and personal worth you modestly disclaimed, 
and credited them all to your country. In the presence of 
sovereigns you never forgot that you were j^ourself a sover- 
eign — one of a nation of forty million sovereigns — and it is 
most gratifying, sir, to your own countrymen to learn from 
a speech made by yourself, that you return to your native 
land a more ardent admirer of republican institutions than 
ever before, and that your love for your country has been 
increased and your faith in the progress, future greatness, 
and grand destiny of this nation has been strengthened by 
your observations and experiences abroad. In all your for- 
eign travels you could doubtless say of your country with 
the poet: 

Where'er I roam, whatever realms I see, 
My heart, untraveled, fondly turns to thee. 

" Again, in the name of this 'great congregation of patri- 
otic, admiring, enthusiastic people, I bid you thrice welcome 
to this little town — a town of small importance, indeed, of 
itself, but made fiimous and heroic by the deeds of yourself, 
and those of many other distinguished men who have gone 
forth from us to do service to the State. Some of these, 
with their martial robes about them, sleep on battle- 
fields, some are still with the army guarding the frontier, 
and some, illustrious in their several sphei-es as jurists, for- 
eign ambassadors, and successful men of affairs, we have the 
pleasure of seeing before us on this occasion. They have 
come back to this, their former home, to unite their acclaim 
with ours in your honor to-day. 



TOUR AROUND THE WOIU-D. 



623 



" 111 conclusion, sir, permit me to express ihe wish that 
)our future may be as serene and happy as your past has 
been eventful and glorious; and as you pass into the 'sere 
and yellow leaf of life's autumn, may all that which shoulil 
accompany old age, axs honor, love, obedience, troops ol 
friends be yours." 

In resjDonse to this cordial greeting, General Grant spoUe 
as follows: 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, and Citizens of Gale- 
na : It is with some embarrassment that I reply. Your wel- 
come is exceedingly gratifying to me, but it is difficult for me 
to reply to what I have just heard, and to what I have seen. 
Since I first left here, eighteen years ago, it has always been 
the greatest pleasure for me to return to Galena, and now, 
after an absence of two and a half years from your city, 
during which time I have visited almost every country in 
the world, it is a pleasure to be greeted in this manner by 
you. During my travels I received princely honors, but 
they were all due to this country, and to you as citizens and 
as sovereigns of so great a country. When I saw during 
my absence, especially in the far East, how hard the inhab- 
itants had to toil even for a maintenance, I realized more 
than ever the greatness of our country, where want is 
scarcely ever known, and where the question of sustenance 
is not daily considered. I will only add, that I thank you 
again for your reception." 

Brief but feeling remarks were made by Gov. Cullom, 
of Illinois; Gov. Gear, of Iowa; Gov. Smith, of Wiscon- 
sin; General Logan, Senator Allison, of Iowa; Hon. E. B. 
Washburne and Major Hawkes. 

The open air ceremonies concluded with the presentation 
of Mrs. Grant to the people. Then three times three cheers 
were given to General Grant, and the out-door welcome 
home terminated. 



62. V 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



General Grant repaired to the DeSoto House, where he 
received his friends. The parlors of the hotel were over- 
flowing for fully an hour, and the hand-shaking was almost 
endless. The General submitted with good grace to it all, 
and occasionally, when he met an old acquaintance, the 
greeting was very cordial. Behind him stood the colo?- 
bearers of the Forty-fifth Illinois Volunteers, with their bat- 
tered ensigns. 

In the evening the city was brilliantly illuminated, and 
there was a fine display of fire-works. During this display 
the triumphal arch, which was well stored with rockets, 
Roman candles, etc., became ignited, and an explosion fol- 
lowed that shook the windows of the buildings in the vicin- 
ity. Postmaster Huntington was injured in the fire. Gen- 
eral and Mrs. Grant entertained a few friends at their resi- 
dence; there were none but guests present from abroad, as 
the General will entertain his Galena friends later. And so 
ended the great reception, which was so general and gener- 
ous on the part of Galena. 

After a few days rest, General Grant left Galena 
at 5 o'clock Wednesday morning, November 12th, for 
Chicao-o. At nearly all of the stations on the route 
large and enthusiastic crowds collected, the train generally 
stopping a few moments to allow the General to satisfy 
their curiosity, and the General was often compelled to go 
through the ordeal of the pump, shaking hands with all 
who requested it. At one o'clock the train reached Park 
Row, and w£is received by General B. R. Raum, General 
Theodore Jones, Major A. Fitch, Colonel W. S. Oliver, 
General E. H. Murray, and Major H. C. McArthur, who 
escorted the distinguished guest to a carriage drawn by six 
horses. Then followed Mayor Harrison and Governor Cul- 
lom, who took a seat in the ex-President's carriage, and the 
cavalcade started. A body guard, consisting of officers Schu- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 02^ 

macher, Fife, Lueders, Soergel, Ricrdon and Bruton, sur- 
rounded the carriage. At this moment a drenching rain set in, 
and the multitude that but a minute before was a packed, solid 
mass, began to move, at first slowly, and then quicker and 
quicker, until it almost reached a trot. Park Row and the 
lake front Avas transformed into a surging, seething mass of 
human beings and umbrellas, moving northward on Mich- 
igan avenue. It was a strange sight. In spite of the rain, 
patriotic throats would cheer, and resounding artillery would 
roar; in spite of the mud the crowd dashed on, cheering 
lustily, and in spite of all the elements combined. General 
Grant's advent into Chicago was signalized by a display of 
the most unbounded enthusiasm. 

The procession having formed, the command to march 
was given about 1.30 o'clock, by Lieutenant General Phil. 
Sheridan, Grand Marshal, and the column moved in the 
following order: 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Detachment of mounted police, under command ot Major George Heinzman. 

Jefferson Barracks Band. 

General Sheridan and staff. 

General J. T. Torrence and staff. 

First Regiment of Cavalry, Major Welter. 

Second Regiment Infantry, Col< nel Qiiirk. 

Sixth B ittallion Infantry, Colonel W. H. Thompson. 

Sixtei nth Battalion Infantry, Colonel Scott. 

Battery D, Major Tobey. 

Battalion of miscellaneous companies. Major De Youn^. 

First Rejfiment of Infantry, Colonel Knox. 

First Regiment Cadet Corps. 

Lackey Zouaves. 

Janesville Guards. 

SECOND DIVISION. 

Loesch's Military Band. 
Captain Neelv and Staff of aids. 

GENERAL GRANT, 

aocotnpanicd by Mayor Harrison and the Hon. Thomas lloyne, in a carriage drawn 

by six caparisoned horses and escorted bv the Society of 

the Army of the Tennessee. 

Platoon of police, commanded by Acting Chief O'Donnell and associate!. 

Carriages containing Governor Shelby M. Cullom and General W. T. Sherman. 

Carriages containing the Citizens' Reception Committee of 500. 



626 



GENERAL U. S. GRAXT S 



Carriagfes containing distinguished maimed and crippled soldieri, 
Lubbig's Milwaukee Band. 
Society ol the Army of the Cumberland, Genir.u Whipple. 
Northwestern Band. 
Society of the Array of the Potomac, General White. 
Nevans' Military Band. 
Union War Veterans. 
Union Democratic War Veterans. , 

Veteran organizations in general. Colonel Scriboer. 
Clarinda, Iowa, Cornet U;uul. 
Mexican War V-.ter;ins. 
Fort Wayne Band. 
Grand Army of the Republic, Colonel Swain- 
Grand Army File and Drum Corps Band. 

THIRD DIVISION. 

Columbus Barracks Band. 

General Wallace and StaflF. 

Old Settlers, as invited participants, in carriages. 

Judges of the Federal and State Courts, carnages. 

The Chicago Common Council, carriages. 

The Board of Cook County Commissioners. 

Division composed of the County Clerk's and Shrrift's Di pulie*. 

The City Clerk's and City and County Treasurer's Deputies. 

Hyde Park authorities and South Park Commissioners. 

First Regiment Trumpeiers. 

The Fire Patrol. 

Illinois Skirmishers' Battalion, 

Brothers of Union. 

United Fellows. 

Downer's Grove Band. 

The Union Labor League. 

Mail Carriers, detachment of 30. 

The Danish War Veterans. 

First Norwegian Total Abstinence Society. 

Jacksonville Drum Corps. 

Chicago Labor Union. 

Stock Yards Troopers. 

Langan's Band. 
Chicago Turngemeinde. 

FOURTH DIVISION. 

Elgin Military Band. 

General Sherer and staff. 

Detachment of 14 engines and 4 trucks of the Chicago Fire Department. 

Jackson, Mich., Band. 

Division of 350 decorated wagons, escorted by the West, South, and North Park 

Police, mounted. 

The commanders of the various tlivi.sions, who were 
seen after the march was over, stated that there were at 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 627 

the smallest estimate 10,000 or 12,000 participants in the 
procession. 

There were over 3,000, perhaps 3,500, in the First 
Division, over 2,500 in the Second, about the same in the 
Third, and nearly 1,500 in the Fourth. The route of 
march was about 4 miles long, and the rear of the column 
had not yet formed on Michigan avenue when the head 
had arrived at the Palmer House. The pi'ocession occupied 
about three hours in passing a given point. 

From a balcony erected at the N. E. end of Palmer 
House General Grant reviewed the first and second Divis- 
ions, when the General descended and proceeded to the 
platform erected in the rotunda of the hotel, and on behalf of 
the citizens of Chicago was formally welcomed to the city 
by Mayor Harrison (a Democrat), who spoke as follows: 

"General Grant: The people of Chicago recognize 
in you the most renowned of America's citizens. They have 
watched you for several months journeying around the world. 
They have seen you the recipient of honors heretofore con- 
ferred only upon those of exalted rank; and yet, sir, you 
had no other passport than that you were an American 
citizen. 

"Princes, rulers, and their people delighted to honoryou, 
and in honoring you they lavished honor upon your 
country. This people, sir, now that you are returning 
home, are desirous of tendering you a befitting reception. 
With this end they have appointed a committee of five 
hundred gentlemen to receive you here in the heart of the 
city and to welcome you to the homes of our people and to 
the hearts of the people. 

" Upon me as chairman of that committee, devolves the 
pleasing duty of clothing in words what their hearts would 
warmly express. Sir, for many long years you have been 
conf^f\ntly before the eyes of this people." 



62S 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



•* Eighteen years and two months ago a neighDonng state 
had adopted the rule of neutrality in the dread internecine 
war then commencing. Our statesmen v/ere deeply troubled 
and knew not how to solve the problem. You, Sir, like 
the Macedonian conqueror, with your sword cut the Gor- 
dian knot, and the first born daughter of the Constitution 
no longer wavered in her devotion to the Union and to the 
Union's flag. Two months after we saw you writing 
your name in blood at fiercely contested Belmont. 
Before the frosts of winter had thawed, you threw your 
regiments around Donelson. Its commander, feeling the 
death-grip upon him, asked for terms of capitulation. 
That laconic reply, "Unconditional surrender; I propose 
immediately to move upon your works," enriched the page 
of military literature, and 15,000 of Confederate prisoners 
came here to Chicago, living witnesses of your great 
victory. Ere the buds of spring had burst into the sum- 
mer's flower, Corinth, and Pittsburg Landing were your 
trophies. And the waters of the Cumberland and 
Tennessee rivers flowed freely, bearing the stars and 
stripes through the Ohio, through on the Mississippi 
to Memphis and below; but the mighty river refused 
to carry you on to the gulf. Vicksburg, deemed 
impregnable, frowned upon its turbulent waters, de- 
manding a toll of death. You resolved that Vicksburg 
should fall, and for you to resolve, has seemed in the past 
for you to do. After months of strategic movement, long 
marches, and many battles, you lay your army in front of 
the Gibraltar of the South. But Vicksburg was vulnera- 
ble only from the rear. Desirous of saving your army, you 
endeavored to make a new channel for the mighty stream. 
But the father of waters, despising your human efforts, 
rolled on majestically — on beneath the enemy's guns. Sir, 
unable to bridle the monster, you mounted his foaming 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD, 629 

back, rode through the storm of fire and hail of shot. 
Vicksburg fell, and Chicago shouted: " The backbone of the 
Confederacy is broken." Chattanooga, Lookout MounLian, 
and Missionary Ridge were then flowers in the chaplet 
encircling your bi'ow. We then saw you at the nation's 
Capital commanding your country's armies. But your own 
special duty was to reach Richmond, which had in the 
past seemed a noli 7ne tangere. You chose the line of the 
Wilderness, and to the immortal Lincoln you declared that 
you would ' fight it out on that line if it took you all 
summer,' thus giving evidence of the tenacity of your 
own will, rousing the wavering and lifting up the down- 
hearted. You did, sir, 'fight it out on that line,' and 
Richmond was ours. 

" We next saw you, sir, at Appomattox Court House, 
receiving the sword of the brave, but mistaken Lee. You 
handed it back to him. 'Keep it,' said you; 'a braver 
man never wore a sword.' You bade him keep his horses, 
for his folks would need them at the plow. You bade his 
armies return to their homes, to rebuild their broken fire- 
sides, and to re-establish their shattered fortunes. Sir, 
Chicago and the world then applauded the clement 
conqueror, as before they had admired the dauntless soldier. 
The bloody war over, you said, ' Let us have peace,' and 
a grateful nation lifted you to the highest position in its gift ; 
aye, the highest in the world. Eight years you were 
President. Then, wearied with sixteen years of service to 
your country, you sought rest in travel, turning your eyes 
to the East. Moving off toward the cradle of the sun, you 
were greeted in all lands, and received every greeting in 
the name of your country. 

" Sir, you have served your country nobly ; your country 
has honored you grandly. Like the immortal Washington, 
you rose from the lowly walks of life, passed through all 



620 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



'0 



military grades until you commanded its victorious armies. 
Like him, you filled the office of President two long terms. 
He, when his two terms were over, was offered a crown; 
but, preferring the immortality of fame to temporary power, 
he retired to private life, lives in the hearts of his people, 
and all time will call him his country's father. You, too, 
sir, when your two terms were over, obeying that part ol 
your country's Constitution in its unwritten traditions, hal- 
lowed by the example of the immortal Washington — you, 
too, retired, and you, too, sir, live and will live forever in 
your countrymen's hearts. 

" Sir, in the name of Chicago and its people, I prophesy 
that when time shall have grown old; when the page of 
history shall have become dim by the side of the great 
quartet who have gone before you, your name, your statue, 
will be placed, and by the side of Washington, of Jefferson, 
of Jackson, and of the immortal Lincoln, will live the name 
of Grant. 

" Sir, again allow me to tender to you a hearty welcome 
to the homes, to the fire-sides, and to the hearts of all the 
people of Chicago, regardless of creed or of party." 

At the conclusion of the Mayor's remarks. General 
Grant bowed slightly, and responded as follows: 

"Mr. Mayor, Gentlemen of the Committee of 
Reception, Gentlemen of Chicago and of Illinois: 
I feel very much honored by the welcome which I am 
receiving at your hands today. I feel highly honored by 
the speech of welcome which has just been uttered by your 
worthy Mayor. It is something that is so personal to my- 
self that it would hardly be in good taste for me to respond 
to the language of it, and it leaves nothing, therefore, for 
me to do than to repeat my thanks to this committee and to 
the citizens of your city for the hearty reception which they 
have given me. 



TOUR AROUND TllK WCJRLD. 63 1 

" In regard to one allusion, to my receptions abroad, I 
will say that in every case I felt it was a tribute to my own 
country. I will add, further, that our country stands differ- 
ently abroad in the estimation of the Europeans and East- 
ern nations from what it did a quarter of a century ago. 
An American citizen is regarded in a different light from 
the American citizen of a quarter of a century ago. At 
that time it was believed that we had not a nation; that it 
was merely a confederation of states tied together by a rope 
of sand, that would give way upon the slightest friction. 
They have found out their grand mistake. They know 
that we have now a government, that we are a Nation, and 
that we are a strong, intelligent, and brave people, capal)le 
of judging and knowing our rights, and determined on all 
occasions to maintain them against either domestic or 
foreign foes. And that is tiie explanation of the receptions 
which you have received through me while I was abroad. 
Gentlemen, I thank you." 

As General Grant concluded his remarks, the Mayor 
invited the crowd to come forward in twos and shake hands 
with the General, stating that the General had seen a great 
deal and was very hungry. Many of the old comrades 
came forward and reminded him pleasantly in passing ot 
the last time they met. 

The pressure of the crowd became so great that Mayor 
Harrison was compelled to ask them to desist, and at 4 
o'clock the Mayor and Colonel George R. Davis took him 
in charge, and conducted him to his private parlor, where 
a small company was assembled, consisting of Mrs. General 
Grant, Mrs, Sheridan, the Hon. Thomas Hoyne, and 
others. After a few complimentary remarks, he was con- 
ducted to his carriage by General Chetlain and the Hon. 
Thomas Hoyne, and departed to take dinner at iiis son's 
house. 



632 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

Speaking of the decorations, the /nier- Ocean of the 13th 
says: " The appearance of the city was a surprise to the 
people of Chicago themselves. The gay attire which they 
had been planning for weeks being richer and more com- 
plete than had been pictured in anticipation. There were a 
number of establishments that might be named which spent 
over a thousand dollars in each adornment; but when thou- 
sands worked with willing hands and loving hearts, if with 
a smaller expenditure of money, to swell the general wel- 
come of the city to her guest, it would be perhaps unfair, 
as it is unnecessary, to mention the few who, in this respect, 
were able to surpass the rest." 

" The grand arch, upon which the General first looked as 
he stepped from the cars, spanned his path, with the words, 
' Chicago's Welcome,' and as he rode over the four miles 
of the route Chicago's w^elcomes were spoken "all along 
the line" in bowers of living green; in arches bright with 
the colors of gay bunting; in lovely festoons of flowers 
which drooped to the very ground from the highest tops of 
the brown-stone fronts of Michigan avenue; in rich cano- 
pies which carried their tributes out to the very steps of his 
carriage; in the magnificent trappings and beautiful hang- 
ings on marble fronts; in floating pendants and waving ban- 
ners; in the millions of flags which covered the city almost 
as a great mantle of patriotism and loyalty, and finally in 
poi'traits on every side of Grant himself, and in matters 
which repeated again his own terse and patriotic utterances 
that have become the dearly-prized household words of the 
people. 

" From out such wondrous profusion in decorations and 
such bewildering beauties of embellishment along four 
miles of thoroughfare, it is a manifest impossibility to 
describe the appearance of each building, or even any con- 
siderable number of the most prominent," 



TOUR AROUND THE WOULD. 6 



OJ 



The St. Louis Globe Dintocrat^ in speaking of the C 
cago reception on the I2th said, "Chicago was gloiiouisly 
decorated. * * * The scenes along the route of the 
procession were almost beyond description, * * * the 
four hundred thousand people who lined the streets were 
wildly, madly enthusiastic." St. Louis Republican (Dem.): 
" The whole central part of the city was a gorgeous scene 
of patriotism, embodied in bunting and flowing out in 
colors such as would make the rainbow hide its head." It 
seems as if the whole Northwest had poured out its pop- 
ulation to the citizen thus auspiciously returning to his 
home." 

The Cincinnati Commercial said: "A noticeable fea- 
ture of the decorations was that not only were buildings own- 
ed by Republicans replete with ornaments, but those of prom- 
inent Democrats were among the most brilliant in their dis- 
play of colors and evergreens. Messrs. Field & Leiter, both 
outspoken Democrats, made a lavish display. The Demo- 
cratic Palmer House, besides having made itself his head- 
quarters during his stay, presented adornments in profusion, 
which were of the most patriotic character. McVicker, who 
is a life-long Democrat, enveloped his theatre from top to 
bottom with red, white, and blue, with flags at every avail- 
able point, and allegorical paintings fifty-two feet long and 
fifteen feet high, representing General Grant as a tanner at 
Galena, as the victorious soldier at Appomattox, and as the 
inaugurated President of the nation. 

The Cincinnatti Gazette said : " The military display 
was fine. * * * The reception in the evening was 
an indescribable ovation." 

The Cincinnati Ettquirer (Dem.) said: "This was 
Grant's day. The Soldiers of the State of Illinois, of the 
State of Indiana, of Michigan, and of Wisconsin gave him 
such a demonstration as was never before seen in this city, 



634 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

or indeed any Western city. There was no concealing or 
denying it because the enthusiasm was so unusual that every- 
body had to acknowledge the fact." 

The Louisville Courier- yournal {J^^m^ said: "Gen- 
eral Grant and party appeared at the head of the 
second division, and the enthusiam was indescribable. He 
appeared tired, wearied, and exhausted, but as cheer on 
cheer arose he lifted his hat wearily and smiled. A descrip- 
tion of the entire progress of the procession might be 
summed in the words, no living or dead man ever received 
such an outburst of enthusiam. Ten minutes after the pro- 
cession started, the sun burst through the clouds, adding 
fresh zeal to the excitement. No such a rain storm has 
occurred this year; no such a depth of mud was ever known; 
so grand a street pageant was never seen, and no such wild 
and unbridled excitement was ever experienced, is the 
verdict." 

The Indianopolis Journal said: "Chicago to-day 
gave Grant a heroic reception, a cosmopolitan wel- 
come, and to her hundreds upon thousands of popu- 
lation there were added a hundred thousand visitors. 
Never has this city been so densely packed, and never was 
an American citizen accorded such a hearty greeting as has 
been given this man. Chicago is celebrated for great deeds, 
but this event will pass to record as the grandest and the 
greatest and there is no event in the prophesy of man that 
can call out a more brilliant one." 

The Detroit Post said: " Chicago has never seen any- 
thing like this day in all its history, or rather, it has seen 
several occasions bearing some analogy to it, but none to 
equal it in magnitude. Never before has the city pre- 
sented such a festive appearance. Millions of flags and 
banners wei^e floating to the breeze, and every building on 
the South Side and thousands of private residences every, 
where were covered with the decorations." 



i 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 635 

The formal reception by the society of the Army of the 
Tennessee, at Haverly's theatre, in the evening, fitly closed 
the extraordinary record of the day. The stage had been 
transformed into a picturesque war scene, the hills in the 
vicinity of Vicksburg rising in the distance, and nearer, the 
fortifications of the Union troops. Field pieces vv^ere in 
place pointing outward through the embrasures, and on 
them and about them were grouped artillery men in regula- 
tion dress. The grouping had a tableaux effect that 
brought into clear relief the gathering of distinguished 
gentlemen in front. The theatre was beautifully and elabo- 
rately decorated in flowers and evergreens. 

In the parquette, dress circle, balcony and gallery was 
a select audience, taking in the members of the different 
army societies and many of Chicago's leading citizens. As 
many of the veterans Avore uniforms, and as many of the 
ladies, even in the gallery were in full dress, the assemblage 
was a brilliant one, even for that city. 

Prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. H. W. Thomas. 

The first address of the evening was by the Hon, E. B. 
Washburne, who spoke a general welcome to the society 
and to General Grant. Mr. Washburne was at his best, 
and his courtly manner and well chosen words gave to his 
speech of welcome a special charm. A warm tribute to 
McPherson, and a graceful mention of Grant, called out 
responsive bursts of applause. 

He was followed by Governor Cullom, who spoke the 
welcome of the state. His unusually clear cut tones, his 
dignified deliberation, and his special emphasis were hints 
to those who knew him that his speech was not to be an 
ordinary one, and it was not. His first reference to national 
sentiment and nationality was the signal for a hearty round 
of enthusiasm, and the plain talk that followed was 
applauded to the echo. He made a dramatic mention 0/ 



636 GENERAL ^. S. GRANt's 

Grant that brought that gentleman to his feet in response 
to continued calls from the audience. A reference to the 
incomparable Sherman and the chivalric Logan compelled 
each of those gentlemen to follow the example of Grant, 
and rise in answer to the calls from the people in front. 

Mayor Harrison spoke the welcome of the city, speaking 
in his usual style, and saying many good things, whenevei 
he dropped an incidental remark about the distinguished 
ex-President, the audience stopped Mr. Harrison with 
cheers, and kept up the noise until General Grant arose and 
acknowledged the compliment with a bow. 

General Sherman responded briefly and pointedly, his 
first remark, to the effect that Chicago was ready and will- 
ing, for a consideration, to feed the world, calling out a 
double round of applause. 

The annual address, by General Grcsham, was read in 
a smooth, lawyer-like manner, and, coming after the 
impromptu speeches, seemed at first as not likely to claim 
the close attention of those outside of army circles. But 
soon the people awoke to the realization that a scholarly 
gentleman was discussing vital questions of general interest, 
and the speaker not only had the closest attention of all, 
but the heartiest commendation. 

After the presentation of a banner to the Society by 
General Logan in a graceful speech, and a response, half 
playful, half earnest, by General Sherman, it was an- 
nounced that there would be a song. This was met by a 
determined call for General Grant, and he arose as if to 
excuse himself, saying he would fill the regular order on 
the programme. The audience, quick to see the drift of 
this remark, informed him that he was not on the pro- 
gramme, and insisted that he should go on. As he took 
from his pocket a few pages of manuscript, the crowd 
cheered, and the officers on the stage turned toward him 
with new interest on their faces. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 637 

The General stepped forward and said: 

Comrades of the Society of the Army of the 
Tennessee: After an absence of several years from the 
gatherings of the society of the Army of the Tennessee, 
it affords me heart-felt pleasure to again be with you, my 
earliest comrades in arms in the great conflict for nationality 
and union of all the states under our free and always-to-be 
maintained government. In my long absence from the 
country I have had the most favorable opportunity for seeing 
and comparing, in my own mind, our institutions with all 
European countries, and most of those of Asia — comparing 
our resources, developed and dormant, the capacity and 
energy of our people for upholding and developing its 
resources, with most of the civilized people of the world. 
Everywhere, from England to Japan, from Russia to Spain 
and Portugal, we are understood, our resources highly 
appreciated, and the skill, energy, and intelligence of the 
citizens recognized. My receptions have been everywhere 
kind, and an acknowledgement that the United States is a 
Nation, a strong, independent, and free Nation, composed 
of strong, brave, and intelligent people, capable of judging 
of their rights, and ready to maintain them at all hazards. 
This is a non-partisan association, but comjDOsed of men 
who are united in the determination that no foe, domestic or 
foreign, shall interpose between us and the maintenance 
of our gi-and, free, and enlightened institutions, and unity 
of all the States. The area of our country, its fertility, 
the energy and resources of our people, with a sparsity of 
population compared to area, postpones the day for genera- 
tions to come when our descendants will have to consider 
the question of how the soil is to support them, how the 
most can be produced to sustain human life, without refer- 
ence to the taste or desires of the peo[:)le, and when but few 
can exercise the privilege of the plain luxury of selecting 



DO 



8 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 



the articles of food they will eat, the quantity and quality 
of clothing they wear, but will remain the abundant home 
of all who possess the energy and strength, and make good 
use of them, if we remain true to ourselves. Such a country 
•s one to be proud of. I am proud of it — proud that I am 
an American citizen. Every citizen. North, South, East, 
and West, enjoys a common heritage, and should feel an 
equal pride in it. 

"I am glad these society meetings keep up their 
interest so long after the events which, in a sense, they com- 
memorate, have passed away. They do not serve to keep 
up sectional feeling or bitterness toward our late foe; but 
they do keep up the feeling that we are a nation, and that 
it must be preserved, one and indivisible. We feel and 
maintain that these who fought, and fought bravely, on 
the other side from us, have equal claims with ourselves in 
all the blessings of our great and common country. We 
claim for them the right to travel all over this broad land 
and select where they please, the rightt o settle, become 
citizens, and enjoy their political and religious convictions, 
fiee from molestation or ostracism either on account of them 
or their connection with the past. We ask nothing more 
for ourselves, and would rejoice to see them become pow- 
erful rivals in the development of our great resources, sn 
the acquisition of all that shall be desirable in this life, and 
in patriotism and love of country." 

The little speech was extremely well received, and as 
the General folded his paper and put it in his vest pocket, 
there was a round of applause, interrupted by a vigorous 
call for General Sheridan, which soon brought him to the 
front to make a happy little two-minute speech. Then, at 
the order of the now determined audience, came Pope, 
Oglesby, Schofield, and Mark Twain, each to speak briefly. 
Frank Luinbard's quartet did fine service. 



1"OUR AROUND THE W'ORLD. 639 

The tattoo was then given, and the president announced 
tlie society adjourned till the following morning. 

The hiter-Ocean in summing up the welcome given 
General Grant, said: 

Chicago has spoken her welcome. With what warmth 
and demonstrativeness is best shown in our reports giving 
particulars of the great display. If the warmth and earnest- 
ness of the great display are to be judged by tlie magnitude 
of the parade, by the numbers and enthusiasm of the people, 
by the presence in the procession of representatives of every 
departmentof government, every branch of business, every 
industrial interest, and every class of citizens, then Chicago 
has spoken as has no other community. The commanders 
and soldiers of the old armies, the commanders of the pres- 
ent army, the miltary authorities and military forces of the 
state, the different departments of the city government, the 
manufacturing and commercial interests of the state and 
city, were never before combined to speak so grand a wel- 
come. Chicago has spoken as only Chicago can speak. 
And she means it. 

The following day the General attended a reception 
given by the Union Veteran Club, given at McVicker's 
theatre, at 10:30 A. m. The speech making was preceded 
by an allegorical tableau. 

The tableau presented a semicircle of young girls, with 
a throne in the middle of the arc bearing the presiding 
genius. This central figure was a representative of Colum- 
bia, who excited unanimous approval. She was seated on 
a dais, and above her gleaming helmet she bore a standard 
— that of the Twenty-first Illinois Infantry — which was a 
mere tatter. The bare arms were bound at wrist and upper 
arm with broad gold bracelets. The pure white of the 
waist was relieved by a silken flag draped as the skirt. 
The lady, Miss Adeila Barker, by her many charms, pre- 



640 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

sided a worthy Queen over the goddesses. On her broad 
shield she bore the salutation to General Grant, "In the 
name of the United States you saved, I welcome you." 

The young and charming representatives of the states 
who supported them, were dressed in pure white, with 
strands of flowers caught in their skirts and clusters of 
flowers on the breast and in the hair. They wore graceful 
crowns of blue, edged with crimson and ornamented, each 
with three silver stars. Flowing down from the crowns, 
the luxuriant hair, in almost every instance blonde, reached 
to the waist. In her right hand each goddess held a blue 
shield bearing the name of a state and the words after it, 
" Welcome, you." In the other hand she flourished a small 
flag. 

Six little goddesses, representing the Territories, stood 
a little in advance of the main line, directly in front of 
Columbia, and bloomed all over with gay flowers. 

A noticeable representative of a State was the tall bru- 
nette, bearing on her shield the legend, " Michigan wel- 
comes you." Her raven hair sweeping down her shoulders 
was matched by a broad, black scarf, in memory of 
Chandler. 

General Chetlain, President of the Union Veterans, 
made an address of welcome. An eloquent address by 
Gen. Hogan received hearty and enthusiastic notice; he was 
followed by General Grant, who said: 

"Comrades and Veterans of the Late War: I 
was entirely unaware of the object of my coming here this 
morning. I thought it was to be the place where we were 
to meet this evening, or some other place. I was not aware 
that I was going to meet so many of my old comrades. I 
assure you it affords me great pleasure to meet you here, 
and to meet you everywhere. 

"Veterans of the old war, and my former companions in 



TOUn AROUND THE WORLD. 643 

all my travels, I have not been in a country, in hardly a 
town, and in hardly a place, in the two and a-half years 
that I have been away from my own country where I 
have not met some of your number. As we heard last 
night, wars, while not desirable, still are not always unat- 
tended with good. We believe sincerely that the war 
•which we waged was attended with great good to our coun- 
try. We believe that our victory redounded to the benefit 
of the vanquished, as well as to oui-selves. We believe 
that they to-day would have been in a very much worse 
condition had their cause succeeded, and we certainly would 
have been infinitely worse off. Wars render another ben- 
efit. People who grow up in time of profound peace are 
very apt to vegetate and live along in the place, or near 
the place, of their birth, but having been torn away from 
their homes, as you all were, and having passed through 
the struggles and privations of the war, you were the more 
content to return to your homes, or to go to the best places 
for the development of your intelligence and your talents. 
The veterans of the war are now scattered over this broad 
land, are now developing our Territories, opening new 
mines, clearing new farms, and in every way adding to the 
greatness and prosperity of our nation. They are making 
our country felt, known, and appreciated wherever a flag 
can wave. 

"Now, gentlemen, I have said a great deal more than I 
had any idea I could say when I got up. But, as Mark 
Twain very aptly remarked last evening, I could make a 
very much better extemporaneous speech if I had a couple 
of hours to prepare it." 

The General's address aroused the wildest enthusiasm, 
the audience springing to its feet and giving round after round 
of applause. Hon. Emory A. Storrs delivered the address of 
the day, and was accorded a flattering reception. In 



644 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

response to repeated calls from the audience, Gen. Fuller, 
ex-Gov. Oglesby, Gen. Woodford, of N. Y., made brief 
but eloquent addresses. " Taps " ended the programme, 

At 12 o'clock, General Grant lunched at the residence 
of Hon. E. B. Washburne. The affair was private and 
unostentatious. At 2 130 o'clock he attended the reception 
of the society of the Army of the Tennessee. Mrs. Grant 
received with the Genei'al. Receiving with her were Mrs. 
Gen. Logan, Mrs. W. Q. Gresham, Mrs. P. H. Sheridan, 
Mrs. A. L. Chetlain, and Mrs. Fred Grant. The ladies 
who received with the General, were in full dress. 

Gen. Chetlain and Gen. Logan presented each of the 
long line, announcing their names and passing them on. 
The General stood the ordeal with grim silence, occasion- 
ally muttering a word with old acquaintances. Each comer 
was presented to Mrs. Grant, and the receiving ladies as 
far as possible, but the encounter with the General and his 
wife was generally sufficient for all who passed. 

To carry out the programme of the day, at 3:30 the 
General was compelled to leave, and attend the reception 
of the Union Veteran Club, where the wildest enthusiasm 
was manifested. Shortly after 4 o'clock, he withdrew to 
his private parlors to seek the needed rest and prepare him- 
self for the evening's business. 

In the evening the General attended the grand banquet 
at the Palmer House, given by the members of the Army 
of the Tennessee. No handsomer sight was ever seen in 
Chicago than that afforded, when the 460 banqueters had 
all found seats at eighteen tables, which had been prepared 
for their reception. The hall was handsomely draped with 
flags and embellished with evergreens and flowers. Gen. 
W. T. Sherman presided. The supper itself was a succesa. 
We give the menu: 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 64;' 

THIRTEENTH ANNUAL BANQUET 

OF THE 

SOCIETY OF THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE. 

MENU. 

Blue Point Oysters on the Shell. Sauterne. 

(jrecn Turtle Soup. Sherry. 

Boiled California Salmon. Holland Sauce. Claret 

Parisienne Potatoes. 

Roast Fillet of Beef, Larded with Mushrooms. 

Champanjne. 

Croquets of Potatoes. 

Cutlets of Minced Game. 

Sweet-breads with Spinach. 

\ Croquets of Chicken. 

Roman Punch. 

Roast Saddle of Venison. 

Roast Prairie Chicken. 

Buffalo Steaks. Truffle Sauce. 

Breasts of Ducks, Larded, Currant Jelly. 

Fillet of Wild Turkey. Cranberry Sauce. 

Chicken Salad. 

Shrimp Salad. 

CelerySalad 

Neapolitan ice Cream. 

Ices. 

Cakes, assorted. 

Wine Jellies. 

Charlotte Russe. 

Meringes, assorted. 

Fruits. 

Hard Tack. 

Roquefort and English Cheese. 

Celery, 

Coffee. 

Cognac. 

Cigars. 

Palmer House, Nov. 13, 1S79. 

At 10:45 General Sherman arose and quieted the tumult 
and proceeded to say: 

"Gentlemen: We have a long list before us, and one 
of the richest I have ever had spread before me. And I am 
extremely anxious that this evening shall be a bright one in 
our future memories. We can only accomplish this result 
by almost absolute silence; and I beg, almost implore of 
you, every man, to be just as quiet as possible, because 



646 



GENERAL U. S. GRANt'S 



sounds added together reverberate in this hall, and will spoil 
the best speech that can possibly be made." 

He then complimented the musicians upon the excel- 
lence of their efforts thus far; and suggested that where the 
programme called for music, they simply give a soft strain 
and not a whole tune. " Make it, as it were, a loop be- 
tween the speeches. With a few admonitions of this kind, 
I am sure we will have an evening, a night, if you please, 
of cheering entertainment. 

"I do not pretend to say any thing myself; but will call 
the toasts in the order in which they are recorded on the 
programme, simply introducing each speaker. There hap- 
pen to be three speakers absent, but their places have been 
filled by the Committee, and I have recorded their names, 
so that the speeches will follow each other in quick succes- 
sion. Each speaker is requested to speak as long as he 
holds his audience. As to applause, gentlemen, recollect 
that that takes a good deal of time. A good, hearty laugh 
and marked applause are all right, but don't drawl it out 
into a long giggle, or into a noise. Let the applause be 
short and emphatic. 

"Now, gentlemen, we will proceed at once to the regu- 
lar order of the evening. And I am pleased to see every- 
body smiling and pleasant. Some of the speakers who are 
in your midst will speak from their present position, either 
by getting on a chair or standing as they please. But, 
wherever they are, I beg the audience to give them a re- 
spectful hearing." 

« The first toast of the evening," said Gen. Sherman, "is 
Our Country— Her Place Among Nations, " and will be 
responded to by Gen. U. S. Grant." 

As General Grant arose he was received with tumultu- 
ous applause and cheers, which lasted several minutes, the 
greeting being extremely cordial. When silence was re- 
stored he said: 



touu around thk world. 647 

"Mr. President and Gentlemen of the society 
OF THE Army of the Tennessee, and Guests: Notice 
was sent to me some days ago that I was to respond to a 
toast here, but I paid no attention to it at the time, and had 
no idea, until I got here, of the toast I was to reply to. I 
had relied upon it that there would be half a dozen or more 
speakers before I would be called upon, and that, during 
that time, there would be a man out in the hall I would 
want to see, or thought I would exert some other flank- 
movement by which I would get out of it. Finding, how- 
ever, after my arrival here, that I was to be the first one 
called upon, and hardly feeling it would be proper to look 
for that man so early in the evening, I put in a substitute, 
but the President of your Society has not called upon the 
man. I know if he h d called the name on his paper you 
would have heard much more said about the position of our 
country among the nations of the earth than I can say to 
you, I can feel what the Mayor would probably have said 
if the President had called upon him. But, as I have to 
say a word, I shall rely now upon your signifying, in a very 
few moments, your disapprobation of what I am saying, so 
as to let me oft'. The President has g^iven notice that we 
are not to speak any longer than we can hold the audience. 
Our Nation we have been in the habit ourselves of looking 
upon as being one of the first nations of the earth. 

" For a long period back the Yankee has had not only a 
very respectable opinion of himself individually, but of his 
country as a whole. It has been our own opinion that we 
had nothing to fear in a contest with any other Power. I 
am pleased to say, that from the observations that I have 
been able to make in the last two and a half years, we are 
beginning to be regarded a little by other Powers as we in 
our vanity have heretofore regarded ourselves. We do, 
among other nations, I think, to-day, not only in our own 



6_1.8 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

conceit, but in the acknowledgment of other nations, occupy 
the position of one of the first Powers in all that goes to 
make up a great nationality. We have the strength, we 
have the individual self-assertion, independence; and we 
have to a greater degree than almost any other nation the 
power of colonizing, of settling up new country, opening it 
and developing it. We have also the very great advantage 
of being without neighbors to molest or make us afraid. It 
is true we have a northern frontier, and we have a southern 
frontier, but we get along with a very small army. We 
keep no standing army. What little we do keep, as some 
one I'emarked the other day, is a standing army because it 
has no time to sit down. Air. President [who was seated], 
I find you filling the position with a good deal of ability. I 
don't know of anything I can specially add to what I have 
said, except in the way of advice; and that is, let us be true 
to ourselves; avoid all bitterness and ill-feeling, either on 
the part of sections or parties, toward each other, avoid 
quarreling among ourselves, and we need have no fears for 
the future of maintaining the stand that we have taken 
among nations, so far as opposition from foreign nations 
goes. Gentlemen, I am much obliged for your attention." 

The "President and Congress" was responded to by 
General Logan, in an eloquent address, which was received 
with rapturous applause. " The Army of the Tennessee " 
was responded to by General Hurlburt, and was a glorious 
tribute to its two commanders. Grant and Sherman. The 
speaker took his seat amid great enthusiasm and cheers. 
The toast, "Our First Commander, Gen. U. S. Grant," 
was responded to by Col. Vilas, of Madison, Wis., — a War- 
Democrat — as follows: 

** Your call invites me, sir, I am conscious, to give 
expression to the profound feeling with which every heart 
of our assembled companions respond to the stirring senti- 



TOUK AROUND THE WORLD. 649 

ment. But how shall I attempt to choose, in the brief 
compass the occasion allows, from the multitudinous 
thoughts that crowd the mind? Our first commander, the 
illustrious General, whose fixme has grown to fill the world! 
Nay, more! Our old Band of the Tennessee was his first 
army! What honorable memories of old association you, 
companions, may now recall ! How splendid was your 
entrance on the scene of arms! The anxious eye of the 
North had long been fixed on the Eastern theatre, almost 
unconscious of the new-formed Army of the Tennessee 
and its unknown General. Suddenly there fell on the 
startled ear the roar of your fight at Donelson and your 
chieftain's victorious cry, — which waked the country's heart 
to ecstasy, and rung, like a jDrophetic knell, the doom our 
Army of Salvation bore to Rebels, — 'Nothing, but uncon- 
ditional surrender.' 

" Then, but a few days later, there burst, at Shiloh, upon 
this Army of the Tennessee, the flame and fury of ' the 
first great field-fight of the war.' In desperate doubt the 
night-fall of the bloody day closed on the imequal struggle. 
Higher, then, rose the iron resolution of that great com- 
mander. Urged by cautious counsel to prepare the way 
for retreat, with trust in your valor, he gave the character- 
istic answer, ' I have not despaired of whipping them yet.' 
And loyally, on the morrow, was he vindicated in that 
reliance, as he rode before his soldiery, driving the enemy 
over the victorious fields. How darkly comes back in recol- 
lection the long and dismal toil in the pestilential swamps 
before impregnable Vicksburg. The sky was overhung in 
gloom, and the soaked earth sunk under the foot. Unlit by 
the flash of powder, unheralded by the noise of arms, in 
miserable darkness, the last enemy irresistibly plied his 
fatal work, changing the river levees — where only was 
solid ground fcff burial — into tombs for our trebly-decimated 



650 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

ranks. Then, again, new light broke from his troubled 
genius on the scene, and displayed the possible path of 
valor. Breaking past the rebel battlements and across the 
great river, he flung our army into the midst of the hostile 
host, like a mighty gladiator surrounded by his foes, choos- 
ing no escape but In victory. There, with fiery zest, in 
fierce rapidity, he smote the foe the crushing strokes for 
Fort Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hills, and 
Black River, and seized the doomed city with the unrelent- 
ing grasp of his Army of the Tennessee. 

"And when, on the new birthday of the Republic, her 
flag shook out its beautiful folds above the ramparts of that 
boasted citadel, the territory of revolt was finally split in 
twain, — the backbone of the Rebellion was broken. 

" Such, in a glance, your splendid story ,companions, under 
our first commander. He and his army of the Tennessee 
entered on the page of history together. I'ogether they 
achieved the first great prophetic triumphs for the Union; 
together they followed and fought her enemies from field 
to field, pushing our advancing arms in steady career 
towards the Gulf; nor were their efforts for our country 
disunited until, having dismembei'ed the vast Rebellion, the 
beginning of its utter downfall had been seen. 

"Guided by his genius, your army had learned to fight 
only to conquer. Parted from him, it forgot not the teach-- 
ing. Its march and war struck every revolted State save 
two, but never General anywhere lamented over its retreat 
from the field of arms. Joyfully may we point to that 
exalted fame which, rising like a pinnacle of the Alps, 
breaks through the firmament above to carry up the name 
of the unconquered Grant; for it is our felicity that, on the 
solid base from which it lifts, history has written the proad 
legend of the Army of the Tennessee, which never shunned^ 
and never lost, a battle with its foes. 



TOUU AROUND THE WORLD. (5-[ 

Joined to it by such a stoiy, and especially when so 
assembled, his old associates and soldiers in war, we may 
rightfully without censure and without adulation, claim and 
speak the just measure of his merit and renown. Nor shall 
his presence deny that satisfaction to us. His reputation is 
not his, nor even his country's alone. It is, in part, our pecu- 
liar possession. We, who fought to aid its rising, may well 
rejoice in its meridian splendor. 

The foundations of his title are deep laid and safe. 
There was reaction in the minds of our peojjle after the 
intense strain of war, and many distracting subjects for 
attention. But, with regained comjoosure and reflection, 
his reputation augments, and its foundations appear more 
and more immovably fixed for lasting duration. They 
spring not from merely having enjoyed possession of the 
honors of place and power which his countrymen have 
bestowed; others have had them too. They lie not spe- 
cially on his shining courage and personal conduct before the 
enemy, who was never outdone in calm intrepidity, nor in 
the splendid daring with which he ever urged the battle he 
immediately ordered; though long these will live in song 
and stor}'. Beyond the wannor's distinction, which was 
his earlier glory, his is the true genius of the General. The 
strategic learning of the military art was to him a simple 
implement, like colors and brush to a Raphael, not fetters 
to the mind. How like a weapon in a giant's hand did he 
wield the vast aggregation of soldiery whose immensity 
oppressed so many minds! How easily moved his divis- 
ions, yet how firm the place of all! How every soldier 
came to feel his participation a direct contribution to the 
general success. And when, at length, his merit won the 
government of the entire military power of the North, how 
perfect became, without noise or friction, the co-operatior 
of every army, of every strength, throughout the wide te> 



653 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

ritory of war towards the common end! Subordinate every 
will and jealous soul, the profound military wisdom of the 
capital even, to the clear purpose and comprehensive grasp 
of the one commanding mind. Then how rapidly crum- 
bled on every side the crushed revolt! When shall we find 
in past records the tale of such a struggle so enormous in 
extent, so nearly matched at the outset, so desperately 
contested, so eflfectively decided ? Through what a course 
of uninterrupted victory did he proceed from the earliest 
engagements to a complete dominion of the vast catastro- 
phe! Nor should it be forgotten, he fought no barbarians, 
ill-equipped, undisciplined, not commanded by educated 
skill; but against soldiers of the finest spirit, armed with the 
best weapons, standing on their own familiar ground, and 
led by veteran Generals of well-trained science, one of 
whom, at least, was never overmatched on his chosen field 
before. 

" Spare, in pity, the poor brain which cannot see, in this 
career, more than a dogged pertinacity! Out upon the 
unjust prejudice which will consciously disparage the true 
meed of genius! Leave it where his reliant silence leaves 
it; leave it to history! leave it to the world. 

" But in the great cause, so well understood, and the great 
results to men, so well accomplished, the basis of his renown 
is justly broadened. For the salvation of this Government 
of freedom for mankind we took up arms. When liberty 
was safe they were laid down again. Risen to the highest 
seat of power, he has descended as a citizen of equal rank 
with all. This goes to the soul of American liberty, 
ennobling individual citizenship above all servants in 
ofiice. His is indeed the noblest grandeur of mankind who 
can rise from the grasp of overtopping power above the 
ambition of self to exalt the ambition of humanity, 
denying the spoils of the brief time to the lasting 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 653 

guerdon of immortal honor. The judgment of imme- 
diate contemporaries has been apt to rise too high or 
fall too low. But let not detraction or calumny mislead. 
They have ever been the temporal accompaniments of 
human greatness. That glory cannot rise beyond the clouds, 
which passes not through the clouds. We may confidently 
accept the judgment of the world. It has been unmistak- 
ably delivered. But lately, as he had pressed his wander- 
ing course about the round earth, mankind have every- 
where bowed in homage at his coming, as the ancient 
devotees of the East fell before the sun at rising. These 
honors were not paid to his person, which was unknown; 
they were not paid to his country, for which he went on no 
errand, and whose representative never had the like before; 
they were not paid to him as to some potentate of a people, 
for he journeyed not as a man in power. They have been 
the willing prostration of mortality before a glory imper- 
ishable. 

"His memory shall, indeed, be in the line of the heroes of 
war, but distinctive and apart from the greater number. 
Not with the kind of Alexandei", who ravaged the earth to 
add to mere dominion; nor of Belisarius, who but fed the 
greedy craving of an hnperial beast of prey; not with 
Marlborough, Eugene, Wellington, who played the parts 
set them by the craft of diplomacy; not with the Napoleons, 
who chose " to wade through slaughter to the throne, and 
shut the gates of mercy on mankind;" not with Caesar, A^ho 
would have put the ambitious hand of arms on the delicate 
fabric of constitutional freedom; America holds a higher 
place in the congregation of glory for her heroes of 
Liberty, where sits in expectation, her majestic Washington. 
In nobler ambition than the gaining of empire, they have 
borne their puissant arms for the kingdom of man, where 
Liberty reigneth forever. From the blood poured out in 



>54 



GENERAL U. S. GRANTS 



their warfare, sweet incense rose to Heaven; and angels 
soothed, with honorable pride, the tears which sorrow 
started for the dead. 

" Home again now, our first commander, after the journey 
of the world! Here, here again, we greet him, at our 
social board, where with recurring years, we regale on 
the deeper-ripening memories of our soldiership for Free- 
dom. Partakers of the labors, the perils, the triumphs, 
which were the beginnings of his glory, we join now, with 
exultation, in the welcoming honors by which his grateful 
countrymen tell their foreknowledge of the immortality 
of his renown. Long and many be the years, illustrious 
leader before your hour of departure come! Green and vig- 
orous be your age, undecayed every faculty of mind and 
sense, in full fruition of the well-earned joys of life; happy 
in the welfare of your native land, the love of your coun- 
trymen, the admiration of the world!" 

The vast assembly rose to its feet as the eloquent 
Colonel concluded his response and sat down. The hall 
resounded with applause and cheers, and everybody waved 
a napkin or a handkerchief in the air to show appreciation 
of what must be considered as the most dignified and 
scholarly response, made all the more enjoyable by the 
Colonel's eloquence, of the entire evening. Colonel Vilas 
was obliged to respond to all this enthusiasm by i^emounting 
his chair and receiving three rousing cheers as he did so. 

The " Ofiicers and Soldiers of the Mexican Wai','' 
responded to by General Woodford. " The Army of the Po- 
tomac," responded to by Leonard Swett. "The Army of the 
Cumberland — its leaders." Response by General Wilson. 
" The other Armies. " Response by General Pope. " The 
Volunteer Soldiers," by Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll. 
" The Patriotic People," Emory A. Storrs. "Woman," 
General Fletcher. The last regular toast of the evening 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 655 

was, "The Babies; as they comfort us in our sorrows, let 
us not forget them in our festivities," responded to by 
Mark Twain. He said : 

" I like that. We have not all had the good fortune to 
be ladies. We have not all been generals, or poets, or 
statesmen, but when the toast works down to the babies we 
stand on common ground, for we have all been babies. It 
is a shame that, for a thousand years, the world's banquets 
have utterly ignored the baby, as if he didn't amount to 
anything. If you will stop and think a minute, — if you will 
go back fifty or a hundred years to your early married life, 
and recontemplate your first baby, — you will remember 
that he amounted to a good deal, and even something over. 
You soldiers all know that when that little fellow arrived 
at family headquarters you had to hand in your resignation. 
He took entire command. You became his lackey — his 
mere body-servant, and you had to stand around, too. He 
was not a commander who made allowances for time, dis- 
tance, weather, or any thing else. You had to execute his 
order whether it was possible or not. And there was only 
one form of machinery in his manual of tactics, and that 
was the double-quick. He treated you with every sort of 
insolence and disrespect, and the bravest of you didn't dare 
to say a word. You could face the death storm of Donel- 
son and Vicksburg, and give back blow for blow, hut when 
he clawed your whiskers, and pulled your hair, and twisted 
. your nose, you had to take it. When the thunders of war 
were sounding in your ears, you set your faces toward the 
batteries, and advanced with steady tread, but when he 
turned on the terrors of his war-whoop, you advanced in the 
other direction, and mighty glad of the chance, too. When 
he called for soothing-syrup, did you venture to throw out 
any side remarks about certain services being unbecoming 
an officer and a gentleman? No. You got up and got 



656 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

it. When he ordered his pap bottle, and it was not warm 
did you talk back? Not you. You went to work and 
warmed it. You even descended so far in your menial 
office as to take a suck at that warm, insipid stuff, just to see 
if it was right, — three parts water to one of milk, — a touch 
of sugar to modify the colic, and a drop of peppermint to 
kill those immortal hiccoughs. I can taste that stuff. And 
how many things you learned as you went along! Senti- 
mental young folks still take stock in that beautiful old say- 
ing, that when the baby smiles it is because the angels are 
whispering to him. Very pretty, but too thin — simply 
wind on the stomach, my friends. If the baby proposed to 
take a walk at his usual hour, 2 o'clock in the morning, 
didn't you rise up promptly and remark, with a mental 
addition which would not improve a Sunday-school book 
much, that that was the very thing you were about to pro- 
pose yourself? Oh! you were under good discipline, and, 
as you went faltering up and down the room in your 
undress uniform, you not only prattled undignified baby- 
talk, but even tuned up your martial voices and tried to sing 
" Rock-a-by baby in the tree top," for instance. What a 
spectacle for an Army of the Tennessee! And what an 
affliction for the neighbors, too, for it is not everybody within 
a mile around that likes military music at three in the morn- 
ing. And when you had been keeping this sort of thmg 
up two or three hours, and your little velvet-head intimated 
that nothing suited him like exercise and noise, what did 
you do? You simply went on until you dropped in the latt 
ditch. The idea that a baby doesn't amount to anything! 
Why, one baby is just a house and a front yard full by 
itself. One baby can furnish more business than you and 
your whole Interior Department can attend to. He is 
enterprising, irrepressible, brimful of lawless activities. 
Do what you please, you can't make him stay on the reser- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 



'D7 



vation. Sufficient unto the day is one baby. As long as 
you are in your right mind don't you ever pray for twins. 
Twins amount to a permanent riot. And there ain't any 
real difference between triplets and an insurrection. 

"Yes, it was high time for a toast to the masses to recog- 
nize the importance of the babies. Think what is in store 
for the present crop! Fifty years from now we shall all be 
dead, I trust, and then this flag, if it still survive (and let us 
hope it may), will he floating over a republic numbering 
200,000,000 souls, according to the settled laws of our 
increase. Our present schooner of state will have grown 
into a political leviathan — a Great Eastern. The cradled 
babies of to-day will be on deck. Let them be well trained, 
for we are going to leave a big contract on their hands. 
Among the three or four million cradles now rocking in the 
land are some which this nation would preserve for ages as 
sacred things, if we could know which ones they are. In 
one of these cradles, the unconscious Farragut of the future 
is at this moment teething; think of it, and putting in a 
word of dead earnest, inartieulated, but perfectly justifiable 
profanity over it, too. In another the future renowned 
astronomer is blinking at the shining milky vvay with but a 
liquid interest, poor little chap! and wondering what has 
become of that other one they call the wet nurse. In 
another the future great historian is lying, and doubtless 
will continue to lie until his earthly mission is ended. In 
another the future President is busying himself with no pro- 
founder problem of state than what the mischief has become 
of his hair so early, and in a mighty array of other cradles 
there are now some 60,000 future office-seekers, getting 
ready to furnish him occasion to grapple with that same 
old problem a second time. And in still one more cradle, 
somewhere under the flag, the future illustrious commander- 
in-chief of the American armies is so little burdened with 



65^ GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

his approaching grandeurs and responsibilities as to be giv- 
ing his whole strategic mind at this moment to trying to 
find out some way to get his big toe into his mouth — an 
achievement which, meaning no disrespect, the illustrious 
guest of this evening turned his attention to some fifty-six 
years ago; and if the child is but a prophecy of the man, 
there are mighty few who will doubt that he succeeded." 

Letters of regret were read from President Hayes, 
members of the cabinet, governors of states, judges of the 
Supreme Court, civil, military and naval officers. The 
Chicago Tribune, speaking of speeches at this banquet, 
said: 

' These were specimens of oratory, for the most part, that 
every American may be proud of; one or two of the addresses 
were so brilliant that, lil^e IngersoU's eulogy on Blaine 
in the Cincinnati Convention, they are likely to find their 
way into the prints of all countries; one or two others were 
strikingly characteristic of the humor and sentiment of the 
American people. In an oratorical tournament General 
Grant is, of course, better as a listener than as a talker; he 
is a man of deeds rather than words. The same might be 
said of General Sherman, though, as presiding officer and 
toast-master of the occasion, his impromptu remarks were 
always pertinent and keen." 

Col. Bob. Ingersoll succeeded in retaining the laurels 
which was so long since placed upon his brow, though 
when Col. Vilas, of Madison, sat down, it was thought 
that even IngersoU's powers of oratory would be severely 
taxed to arouse equal enthusiasm. IngersoU's theme — " The 
volunteer soldiers " — was one that drew from his warm heart 
the most earnest outpourings of gratitude and eulogy. He 
had an opportunity to pay a tribute to the men whom he 
most loves and respects in all the world, because they fought 
freely and heroically in the cause of the nation and univer- 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 659 

sal humanity. His speech glittered with hyperbole, rendered 
more brilliant by the orator's earnest delivery, and nearly 
every word seemed like a beautiful picture to the delighted 
senses of his hearers. What more bountiful imagery could 
have been presented than when he spoke of the volunteer 
soldiers as "the defenders of humanity, the destroyers of 
prejudice, the breakers of chains," or, again, as "the sav- 
iors of the Republic and the liberators of men !" How strik- 
ing the figure that Lincoln, in his Emancipation Proclama- 
tion, "copied with the pen what the grand hands of brave 
comrades had written with their swords!" How pictur- 
esque the greeting to Grant as, "the great leader who, hav- 
ing put a shining band of friendship — a girdle of clasped 
and loving hands around the globe, came home to find 
that every promise made in war has now the ring and gleam 
of gold!" How appropriate and stirring was his final apos- 
trophe, ending: "Let us drink to all the living and all the 
dead — to Sherman, and to Sheridan, and to Grant, the 
laureled soldiers of this world, and last to L'ncoln, whose 
loving life, like a bow of peace, spans and arches all the 
clouds of war!" There is little wonder that Ingersoll was 
interrupted at every sentence with loud and rin^^^ing ap- 
plause, though the night was far spent and the assembled 
hundreds weary." 

The speech of Col. Vilas, who responded to the toast, 
" Our First Commander — U. S. Grant," was a genuine 
surprise. Even those who had reason to expect something 
brilliant from him must have been astonished at the rich 
garnishment of language which this Wisconsin orator 
brought to Grant's glory. The latter-day prejudice against 
what is known as " fine writing" was dissipated by the 
sonorous and well rounded periods which he turned oflf so 
magically, and which took the multitude off their feet. 
This tribute to Grant's renown was the more efFective 



66o GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

because it came from an old Democrat, and there was 
something very Hke a pointed rebuke to many members of 
his own party when CoL Vilas exclaimed: "Spare, in 
pity, the poor brain which cannot see in this career more 
than a dogged pertinacity! Out upon the unjust prejudice 
which will consciously disparage the true meed of genius! 
Leave it where his reliant silence leaves it, — leave it to 
history, leave it to the world," The sketch of Grant's 
military achievements was rapid, impetuous, and vivid, but 
the most eloquent part of the speech was that contrasting 
America's military heroes with those of other nations, illus- 
trating their worthier motives, and ending: "In nobler 
ambition than the gaining of empire, they have borne their 
puissant arms for the Kingdom of Man, where Liberty 
reigneth forever; from the blood poured out in their war- 
fare sweet incense rose to Heaven, and angels soothed with 
honorable pride the tears which sorrow started for the 
dead." 

There were other speeches at the Palmer House 
banquet which, if not so spirited as the two from which we 
have quoted, were still specimens of oratory of which all 
Americans will be proud. Notable among these were the 
address of Gen. Woodford who spoke for the Army of the 
Potomac, and that of Mr. Storrs, who paid tribute to the 
patriotism of those who fed and clothed our armies. Mark 
Twain's speech was a characteristic specimen of that 
peculiar American humor that perplexes the ])eople of 
other lands and other manners, and its success is best 
attested by the roars and convulsions of laughter with 
which it was received at an hour when people ordinarily 
find it difficult to hold up their heads and keep their eyes 
open. His sketch of the immature heroes of the future 
was made up of genuine wit, and, altogether, he was 
delivered of one of the happiest efforts of his life. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 66 1 

The eloquence of the Palmer House banquet will be 
felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, and 
will be memorable in the annals of the Army of the 
Tennessee till the last survivor of that Association shall 
pass away. 

On the 14th, Col. and Mrs. Fred Gi"ant gave a recep- 
tion at their home from 12 to 4 o'clock, and was one of the 
most pleasant gatherings given the honored guest, and was 
attended by the elite of the city. Everything was elegant 
and in perfect order. A profusion of rich and elaborate re- 
ception toilets were displayed by the ladies present, and the 
tasteful blending of colors served to lend an additional 
beauty to the already brilliant picture. 

Mrs. Grant was. richly attired in a princess dress of heavy 
royal purple velvet, with front of fringe and purple beads; 
corsage square, and filled in with point lace; heavy wrought 
gold bracelets; diamond cross and earrings; hair in coil, 
fastened with tortoise comb. 

Mi's. Fred Grant wore a rich dress of white striped 
gi'enadine, embroidered with white silk, with clusters of 
pinks and white roses; diamond jewelry ; hair dressed high, 
with gold band and bangles, and gold ornaments. 

In the evening a reception by the Chicago Club at their 
club house, was second only, perhaps, in importance in the 
series of receptions given General Grant, to that of the 
banquet by the Army of the Tennessee; 1,200 were pres- 
ent. Mr, and Mrs. Grant and the reception party arrived 
early, and took their places in the card room — which is the 
largest apartment in the building — promptly at S o'clock, in 
the following order: Mr. Grant, with Mrs. Grant immedi- 
ately on his right. Next came Mrs. Gen. Sheridan, then 
Mrs. Fred Grant, then Mrs. Rebert Lincoln and ISIrs. Wirt 
Dexter. Immediately on the left of General Grant stood 
Mr. J. M. Walker and E. B. McCagg, who acted as an in- 
troductory committee. 



662 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

At about lo o'clock supper was announced. 

At about 10:45 o'clock the guests began to call for their 
carriages and take their departure for their homes. From 
this time fortli the rooms rapidly thinned out, for at a little 
after 1 1 o'clock the recejDtion closed, and Mr. and Mrs. U. 
S. Grant, accompanied by their son. Col. Fred Grant, and 
his wife, were driven away to the home of the latter. 

Everybody seemed to be well pleased with the enter- 
tainment, and from beginning to end it was a stupendous 
success. The Chicago Club established its reputation for 
giving receptions at the entertainment given in honor of 
President and Mrs. Hayes a year ago, but last night's effort 
capped the climax. Not a break or a hitch was perceptible 
throughout, and every person must have felt that special 
arrangements had been made for his or her entertainment. 
A more thoroughly enjoyable occasion is not on record in 
Chicago. 

On the Saturday morning the Mexican veterans called 
upon the General in a body, and were received with great 
warmth and cordiality. Speeches were made by Leonard 
Swett, Col. Buell, of California, Hon. A. L. Morrison and 
others. The speakers were rewarded bv prolonged 
applause. At two o'clock a general reception was given at 
the Grand Pacific Hotel, and was very generally participated 
in by the people. The reception closed promptly at five 
o'clock. 

In the evening Potter Palmer entertained the dis- 
tinguished guests, and was fully up to the high order of 
entertainments which had been given to the General since 
he first planted foot in Chicago. It being Saturday, the 
reception was not intended to be prolonged until a late 
hour. At eleven o'clock, the guests were greatly dimin- 
ished in numbers, and General and Mrs. Grant took their 
leave of Mr. and Mrs. Palmer, and drove to their son's res- 
idence with the latter and his wife. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 663 

The display of elaborate and costly toilets outshone any 
previous display of the week, and each lady seemed to vie 
with the other in the elegance of her costume. 

Mrs. General U . S. Grant wore an elaborate toilet of 
white satin, with white duchess lace front and shirred bot- 
tom, black drapery of lace and trimming of rich embroidery 
and pearls, very low corsage and short sleeves; heavy 
wrought gold bracelets, and diamond and pearl ornaments. 

Mrs. Potter Palmer was richly dressed in a white satin 
plaited skirt, trimmed with wine and gold brocade; superb 
diamond ornaments. 

Mrs. Col. Fred. Grant wore a rich robe of white satin, 
covered with Spanish lace; gold coronet and diamonds. 

Mrs. General Sheridan was tastefully attired in a plain 
black cashmere dress, cut low, and trimmed with duchess 
lace; jet ornaments. 

On Sunday morning, the General attended the Cente- 
nary Methodist Church, H. W. Thomas, D. D., pastor, 
being " at home " during the rest of the day only to his 
most intimate friends. 

The visit of the school children to General Grant at the 
Exposition building on Monday was one of the most not- 
able features of his sojourn. The huge building swarmed 
with the little people, forty or fifty thousand in number, all 
of whom had an opportunity to see the hero of the war of 
the rebellion, and many of them a chance to shake hands 
and speak with him. 

The Calumet club entertained the General and Mrs* 
Grant, in the evening at their club house. The guests were 
not SO numerous as at the Chicago club reception on Friday 
evening. There was a decided effort made to eclipse the 
other affair by making the list smaller and more select. 
There was a greater display of dress and fashion also. The 
people present numbered about five hundred, and besides 



664 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

being representative of the first society of Chicago, com- 
prised also a fair proportion of distinguished persons frorr 
abroad who were in the city. 

The toilets were generally of the most fashionable make, 
and of extremely rich materials. Experienced society peo- 
ple expressed astonishment at the beauty of many of the 
costumes worn and at the brilliancy of the display of jewelry 
— diamonds especially seemed to be as fashionable as ever, 
and imported laces for neck wear and trimming were 
almost the rule. 

Mrs. General Grant was attired in an elegantly made 
white silk, watered, in combination with garnet brocaded 
silk, with rich fringe of the same; elegant oriental fan, bou- 
quet, tortoise-shell comb in hair, which was dressed high; 
elegant diamond brooch, and solitaire pendants. 

Mrs. Colonel Grant wore a combination cream-colored 
and wine-colored brocaded silk; point lace and diamonds. 

The menu was of the most artistic pieces of culinary 
art seen in Chicago for many a day, and will doubtless 
become one of the models of the season. It was as follows: 

CALUMET CLUB. 

Reception to 

GENERAL AND MRS. GRANT. 



Escalloped Oysters. 
Oyster Patties a la Bachamel. 



Gelatine of Turkey with Truffles, on Belle V uc 

Boned Paitridge with Jel'y, en Voliere, 

Boned Quail with Truffles, a la Rcgence. 

Sliced Buffalo Tongue, a la St. Hubert. 

Breast of Chicken, with Mayonaise, a la Parisenne. 

Gulf Shrimp Salad, Wine Jelly. 

Fillet of Salmon with Mayonaise, 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 665 

Rolled Sandwiches. Vienna Cream Rolls. 



Ornamental Confectionery. 



Assorted Creams and Ices, 

Pudding Glace. Bisque Glace. 

Pudding, a la Viesselrode, 

Charlotte Russe, Wine Jelly, 

Assorted Ctike. 



Fruit Coflfee. 

November 17, 1S79. 

The last day of General Grant's stay in Chicago was 
crowded full of incidents of interest. In the forenoon oc- 
curred a visit to the Chicago Commaudery of the Order of 
the Loyal Legion of the United States, where General 
Grant was formally received and decorated as a member of 
the Order. Then followed a call from the only four sur- 
viving veterans of the war of i8i3 residing in Chicago, all 
of them octogenarians, and proud of the privilege of greet- 
ing a military hero who was born ten years after their ser- 
vices ended. General Grant's visit to the Protestant Or- 
phan Asylum, the first charitable association organized in 
Chicago, was an important episode in the history of that 
worthy institution, and a memorable experience for its in- 
mates. In the evening the General shed the lustre of his 
presence upon the performance at McVicker's Theatre, as 
the guest of the Second Regiment, and thus ended the pub- 
lic portion of 1 !.s sojourn in Chicago. 

The General and Mrs. Grant left Chicago Wednesday 
morning for their home at Galena, where they arrived 
safely the same day. 

The /n/e?'- Ocean, \n summing up the week's series of 
entertainment, said: 

"The demonstration last night at McVicker's closed the 



666 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

week in Chicago devoted to the reception of General Grant. 
The week has been a memorable one, and Chicago may 
well be proud of the record she has made. There has been, 
from the time of the great demonstration on Wednesday, 
scarcely a break in the line of receptions and entertainments. 
On Wednesday there were over one hundred thousand 
strangers in Chicago, and these, with the citizens who took 
part in the parade, or who turned out to witness it, swelled 
the crowd on the streets to over three hundred thousand. 
Although people were wild with enthusiasm and greatly 
excited, not a single serious accident occurred that day or 
during the week. The railroads centering in Chicago 
brought the great crowd of visitors to the city within the 
space of twenty-four hours, and although scores of extra 
trains came in such a way as to bewilder through passen- 
gers and suburban residents, there was little confusion, no 
disarrangement of time tables, and no accidents. 

"Chicago has succeeded in speaking vociferously a most 
hearty welcome to General Grant, and in prolonging the 
festivities and formalities incident to so great an occasion 
without liaving the record marred by any public or private 
calamity." 

In all these gatherings Grant has been the central 
figure. The people have employed every possible means to 
express their enthusiam and good feeling. The numerous 
receptions, banquets, and informal meetings were but the 
outgrowth of this sentiment. Not content with a general 
shout of acclamation, or with one great outburst of 
enthusiasm, finding expression in swelling cheers and 
elaborate decorations, the people of Chicago have sought 
to testify their appreciation of the work and character of 
General Grant in ways that seemed to them most fitting 
and most expressive. They had only a week in which to 
speak volumes, and they have made good use of the time. 



TOUR AROUND THE WORLD. 66j' 

The scries of receptions has been in effect a continuous ova- 
tion, and when the people say good-bye to General Grant, 
on his departure for Galena to-day, they will feel that, after 
all that has been said and done during this week, so 
remarkable for its demonstrations, Chicago has not spoken 
half as earnestly as she feels. Through all this experience 
General Grant has conducted himself in such a way as to 
make old friends still more devoted, and to make new ones 
quite as enthusiastic as the old ones. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 



POLITICAL AND BUSINESS LIFE. 

It was the evening of the 19th of November when 
General Grant and his wife reached their home in Ga- 
lena, and were escorted by old friends to the family resi- 
dence, which had been donated to the general immedi- 
ately after the war. It is an unpretentious brick house, 
one of the best in the somewhat deserted village, situated 
upon a bluff overlooking the town, " beautiful for situa- 
tion," if not " altogether lovely." 

The great tour was now over, the most memorable in 
many respects ever known in human history. No man 
had ever traveled so far and been received with such dis- 
tinguished consideration wherever he went. He had cir- 
cumnavigated the globe without getting beyond the 
reach of his fame. That in itself was something which 
no other man could do, not even excepting Gladstone or 
Bismarck. The modest gentleman who had said a few 
years ago, half seriously, half jestingly that he had no 
other ambition than to return to Galena and be the alder- 
man of his ward, was home again, having been greeted 
in even the "uttermost parts of the earth," with salvos 
of honor, content to spend the rest of his days in digni- 
fied retirement, "far from the madding crowd." But 
such was not to be his fate; unfortunately two distinct 
lines of activity at once began to juggle with his name — 
the politicians who sought restoration to or perpetuation 
in power through his leadership and the money makers 
who saw a commercial value in. his name. Without be- 

668 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 67 1 

ing ambitious or avaricious, he fell a prey to -both classes 
of schemers. Hardly had he settled himself to rest at 
his own fireside when the press began to teem with 
the great enterprises with which his name was to be 
connected, and with the " uprising of the people " in 
favor of his election to a third term of the presidency. 
First came the Nicaraugua canal scheme, more fully 
noted in chapter XIX, for which not less than $100,000,- 
000 were to be raised. General Grant to be at the head 
of it. Mexico was to be gridironed with railroads con- 
verging toward the United States, and other projects 
hardly less gigantic and visionary were broached. But 
business was soon oversloughed by politics and culmi- 
nated before he turned his attention to money making. 

There is no reason to question the sincerity of Gen- 
eral Grant's remarks previously quoted (chapter XIX), to 
the Chinese statesman, in which he disclaimed any and all 
third term aspirations. But importunate friends, some of 
them in his own household, insisted that he should let 
events take their course, and neither solicit nor discour- 
age support for the presidential nomination, and to that 
policy he yielded himself, never in any way departing 
from it. 

It was already evident that if General Grant did not 
enter the field in 1880, the Republican nomination would 
go to James G. Blaine, incomparably the most popular 
civilian in the United States. His great rival, Roscoe 
Conkling,had no hope of stemming the tide of that 
popularity by pushing his own candidacy. The same 
was true of General John A. Logan. The only available 
name for that purpose was Ulysses S. Grant. The Na- 
tional Republican Convention was called to meet at 
Chicago, Wednesday, June 2d, and the location selected 
was deemed favorable to the hero of Appomattox, al- 
though Mr. Blaine was not without strong backing in 



672 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



that city. A third candidate entered the field in the 
hope of being a compromise candidate. John Sherman, 
the great financier, then at the head of the Treasury- 
Department. The convention was composed of emi- 
nent statesmen, and, in the high character of its mem- 
bers, was the most illustrious political gathering ever 
witnessed on this continent. Mr. Conkling led the New 
York delegation, and was the recognized captain of the 
Grant forces. Mr. Blaine had several trusty lieutenants 
in the field, while he was the real general. The first 
point of advantage was won by the Blaine men in secur- 
ing the permanent chairmanship of the convention for 
Senator Hoar, of Massachusetts. A long wrangle oc- 
curred over district representation. It was found that if 
the delegates, which had been instructed by State Con- 
ventions, were obedient to those instructions, General 
Grant would doubtless be nominated; while if the dele- 
gates from congressional districts were allowed freedom 
of action, it would add somewhat to Mr. Blaine's 
strength. Several contested seats turned upon the right 
of district or congressional conventions to name their 
own representatives as against their selection by stal^ 
conventions. This was especially true in Illinois. In 
this stage of the contest, the Sherman men made com- 
mon cause with the Blaine men against the Grant men, 
and General Garfield, the leader of the former, came to 
the front during the debate on district representation, 
advocating the cause which he espoused with such con- 
summate ability that he not only won a brilliant victory 
over Conklingbut won the hearts of the convention, as it 
finally proved. It was not until the fourth day of the 
session that the names of the candidates were formally 
presented. Mr. Blaine was placed in nomination first, 
then Mr. Windom, of Minnesota, who had simply been 
set up for the purpose of weakening Blaine in a state 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 673 

which was really favorable to his nomination. Then 
came the presentation of the name of Ulysses S. Grant 
by that great but indiscreet orator Roscoe Conklingin a 
speech which was a masterpiece of eloquence, but singu- 
larly deficient in tact. It deserves preservation in con- 
nection with the memoir of the subject, and will be 
found in full, in the appendix to this volume. General 
Garfield presented the name of John Sherman in a no 
less able and far more adroit manner. Mr. Billings, of 
Vermont, followed in favor of George F. Edmunds, of 
that state, and Mr. Cassidy, of Wisconsin, urged the 
claims of E. B. Washburne. It was midnight of Satur- 
day when the speeches were over, and an adjournment 
taken to lo o'clock Monday morning. The interval was 
a busy period with the politicians. General Grant him- 
self kept entirely aloof from the fray. The first ballot 
stood: Total numbers of votes cast, 755; necessary to a 
choice, 378, of which Grant received 304; Blaine, 284, 
Sherman, 93; Edmunds, 34; Washburne, 30; Windom, 10. 
This was a fair representation of the way the delegates 
actually stood; thirty-six ballots were taken before the 
contest closed. General Grant's votes remaining almost 
stationary. He had two more votes on the last ballot 
than he had on the first. On the next to the last he 
reached high- water mark; he had 313 to Blaine 257. It 
was then evident that he was gaining on his competitor, 
and he seemed to be on the home-stretch. It was then 
Tuesday. There had been twenty-eight ballots taken 
Monday, Grant gaining three and Blaine losing five. 
General Garfield had received one vote, sometimes two. 
When the first day closed, the Blaine men set about 
negotiating for a compromise candidate, but at no time 
did the Grant men so much as entertain the idea of a 
second choice. They rallied around their leader, and 



674 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



met defeat at last in the same spirit that the old guard 
met death at Waterloo. 

No word of complaint ever escaped General Grant's 
lips. He accepted the verdict of the convention with a 
calm dignity which added fresh laurelr, to his brow, and 
when the campaign needed his services lie rendered them. 
Mr. Conkling showed a disposition to sulk in his tent, and 
it is believed that it was General Grant's personal influ- 
ence which brought him out into the battle. Many- 
causes contributed to General Garfield's election — prom- 
inent among which was the active participation of Gen- 
eral Grant in the canvass. At the critical moment he 
appeared with Senator Conklingat a grand republican 
rally in Ohio, thus bidding his comrades forget the disap- 
pointment of June and give Garfield the same support 
they would have given himself. 

One other incident in the life of General Grant, and 
we dismiss his political career. That other and latest 
incident was his call upon Mr. Blaine at the headquarters 
in New York of the national republican committee, in 
the fall of 1S84. He had taken no part whatever in the 
contest for the nomination which had proved to be a duel 
between Mr. Blaine and President Arthur, neither of 
whom was the real first choice of General Grant. The 
contest of four years before had so strained their personal 
relations that they were not on speaking terms, as the 
phrase is. Rut General Grant in his sublime loyalty to 
republicanism put aside all personal feeling and took 
that occasion to make known his unswerving devotion to 
the political principles which he profeised. The inter- 
view was perhaps the most pathetic incident of the cam- 
paign. There was no formal reconciliation, the great 
men met in forgetfulness of past rivalries, and chatted 
pleasantly for some time, parting for the last time on 
earth in the same spirit that Adams and Jefferson — after 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



675 



much longer enstrangement — had, by correspondence, 
renewed their friendly relations. 

It is now time to resume the thread of more personal 
narrative. 

General Grant wearied of the dull monotony of life in 
Galena, from which many of his friends had removed to 
Chicago and elsewhere. New York city attracted him. 
His friends, Cyrus W. Field, E. D. Morgan, G. W. Childs, 
George Jones and others raised a fund for him amount- 
ing to $250,000, which was invested and held in trust for 
Mrs. Grant, with a view to placing the general and his 
family above the possibility of pecuniary want. At New 
York his sons entered into a partnership with a young 
man by name of Ferdinand Ward, under the firm name 
of Grant and Ward, the general himself being a silent 
partner, and Ward the practical head of the firm. For a 
time all went well and the firm seemed to be immensely 
prosperous — although there was a steady shrinkage in 
values. General Grant seemed to be as highly favored 
by fortune in private life as he had been in public life. 
But early in May, 1884, the crash came. The Marine 
National Bank, of New York, went down on the 7th of 
that month, dragging down with it Grant and Ward. 
General Grant had tried to save the firm by borrowing 
$150,000 of William H. Vanderbilt, but that sum disap- 
peared in the whirlpool — failing to avert the calamity. 
To this day the exact condition of the broken firm is not 
known, but the failure was for millions. General Grant's 
testimony, taken before a commission at his home a few 
days previous to his death, giving a full statement of his 
connection with this firm, will be found in another part of 
this volume. 

No suspicion of personal dishonest}' attaches to Gen- 
eral Grant or his sons, not even to U. S. Grant, Jr., who 
was an active member of the firm. The fact v/as that 



676 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

Ward had conducted the business, and plunged the firm 
into the bottomless pit of Wall street speculation. Not 
only did General Grant surrender all his property, but 
the entire family did the same. 

Some six months after the failure, when it was well 
understood and conceded that General Grant had suf- 
fered irretrievable financial ruin through no dishonesty 
of his own, a movement was set on foot by General Sher- 
man, wealthy friends eagerly joining in the effort to raise 
a fund for his benefit. Mr. Vanderbilt contributing liber- 
ally to it, but General Grant interposed and put a stop 
to it. Mr. Vanderbilt had, in the meanwhile, been put 
in possession of property, personal and real, to satisfy his 
claim for the $150,000 loaned to the general the day pre- 
vious to the failure of Grant and Ward. The personal 
property consisted largely of presents which the General 
had received when abroad, and other tokens of his great- 
ness. He desired to give them to Mrs. Grant, with the 
understanding that they go to the general government 
ultimately, to be treasured in perpetuation of the hero's 
greatness. After some hesitation she declined the well- 
meant gift, in a very courteous letter, and Mr. Vanderbilt 
then presented them directly to the United States, and 
they now form a part of the "crown jewels" of American 
sovereignty. We are now come to the last phase of 
General Grant's life, his sickness and heroism, which form 
the subject of the next chapter. 

During the earlier session of the forty-eighth congress 
the friends of General Grant in and out of congress 
started a movement for the retirement of the General 
with full rank of general in the army, and a bill to this 
effect was introduced, after considerable progress had 
been made in the matter. General Rosecrans, as mem- 
ber of congress from California, bitterly opposed it, and 
it seemed highly probable that congress would adjourn, 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



677 



and General Grant pass away without that crowning 
recognition of his great services. This bill originally in- 
troduced in the senate by Edmunds, of Vermont, had 
passed there and was in the house. The story of its pas- 
sage and of the subsequent action thereunder is well told 
in a Washington despatch of the same day, as follows: 

Washington, March 4. — Mr. Randall submitted the 
conference report on the sundry civil appropriation bill. 
He refrained from making any remark in respect to it, 
except to say that when this report was adopted, the 
house would have finally acted on every appropriation 
bill. [Applause.] The report was adopted. 

THE GRANT RETIREMENT BILL. 

Mr. Randall then asked unanimous consent to take 
from the Speaker's table and pass the Grant retirement 
bill. [Applause.] 

Mr. Bennett, of North Carolina, and Mr. Weller, of 
Iowa, objected. 

Mr. Randall then moved to suspend the rules and 
place the bill on its passage, but the Speaker ruled the 
motion was not in order, pending a decision of the elec- 
tion case. 

Mr. Randall then endeavored to secure his point by 
moving to suspend the rules and lay the election case on 
the table, but the Speaker decided this was equally out 
of order. 

The confusion and excitement in the chamber was in- 
tense. Dozens of members were on their feet demanding 
recognition, but above the babel of voices rang out Ran- 
dall's voice appealing to Mr. Bennett, of North Carolina, 
to withdraw the election case. Finally, when he could 
be heard, Mr. Bennett said that if the house would con- 
sent to vote on the Fredericks-Wilson case, all objection 
to Mr. Randall's motion would be withdrawn. 

This declaration was greeted by a storm of consents 
from the republican side, and the confusion was so great 
that it required five minutes' diligent work by the ser- 
geant-at-arms with his mace in hand before comparative 
order was restored. 



C'jS GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

Then Mr, Wilson, of Iowa, contesting in the election 
case, rose, and amid a storm of cheers on the republican 
side, said that if the house would put General Grant on 
the retired list, he was willing to be sacrificed. 

Mr. Miller, of Pennsylvania, who has been leading the 
filibustering against the election case, said that if the 
house would permit a vote on Mr. Randall's motion the 
opposition to the election case would be withdrawn. This 
was greeted by shouts of objection from the democratic 
side, and Mr. Randall, rushing down to the space in front 
of the clerk's desk, cried out, '' Don't let anything stand 
in the way. Agree to anything." 

Then, said Mr. Miller, in order that there may be no 
excuse, I withdraw and permit a vote on the proposition 
of the gentleman from North Carolina, and I ask the 
house to treat us fairly on both votes. 

After another scene of confusion, Mr. Bennett de- 
manded the previous question on the resolution of the 
committee on elections declaring Fredericks entitled to 
the seat. 

The resolution was adopted without any opposition 
from the republican side, and instantly upon Fredericks 
taking the oath of office, Mr. Randall was on his feet 
with his motion to suspend the rules and pass the senate 
bill for the retirement of General Grant, without specifi- 
cally naming him. 

McMillen demanded a second, while shouts of " Shame " 
and " Oh, don't go back on your word," and ''That's 
fair " went up. Nearly every member was on his feet, 
adding to the tumult, and prominent among them were 
Cassidy and Robertson, of Kentucky, demanding fair 
play. Again did the services of the sergeant-at-arms 
and his mace become necessary to seat the members, and 
then, a second having been considered as ordered, Mc- 
Millen, Stockslager and Watson briefly opposed the bill 
as inaugurating a system of civil pensions. 

Mr. Randall, who, under the rules was entitled to fif- 
teen minutes debate, waived the right, and the yeas and 
nays were immediately taken on the motion to suspend 
the rules and pass the bill. When the name of Mr. Fred- 
ericks, the newly-seated member was called, he arose and 
voted in the affirmative, and the friends of the bill treated 



( 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 679 

him to a round of applause. The motion to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill was agreed to — yeas io8, nays 78. 

The announcement of the result was hailed with three 
cheers and with long and continued applause. 

Mr. Skinner asked unanimous consent that the Speaker 
be authorized to send a telegraphic dispatch to (leneral 
Grant announcing to him the result. At first objection 
was made by Mr. Cobbe, but it was subsequently with- 
drawn, and the Speaker was authorized as stated. 

Mr. Randall was warmly congratulated on his success 
by a number of members on both sides of the house. 

IN THE SENATE THE CLOSING PROCEEDINGS. 

On motion of Mr. Morrill the Chair appointed a com- 
mittee of two senators to act with such committee as 
the house may appoint to notify the President of the 
United States that congress, having finished its business, 
was now ready to adjourn. 

The senators appointed were Messrs. Morrill and 
Harris. At 11:35 ^ messenger from the house announced 
the passage of a bill authorizing the president to place one 
person on the retired list of the army. [Applause.] The 
bill was read at length. 

Mr. Ingalls then said: "Mr. President, the Nation 
knows who that one person is. I ask unanimous consent 
that the reference of this bill to the committee be waived, 
and that it be now considered by the senate." 

The presiding officer (Mr. Garland), stated the bill 
was a senate bill, and nothing further was necessar}^ to 
make it a law, except the proper signatures. [Applause.] 

Mr. Edmunds, resuming the chair, stated he had re- 
ceived a communication which would now be read. He 
handed the communication to Chief Clerk Johnson, who 
read as follows: 

To the Ho7i. George F. Edmunds, President pro tempore 
United States Senate. — The accompanying communication, 
although an executive message, may be read in open 
session. Chester A. Arthur. 

[Applause.] 

The President pro tempore of the Senate. — Manifestations 
of applause are not in order. 



68o GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

The clerk read as follows: 

Executive Mansion, March 4, 1885. 
To the Senate of the United States. — T nominate 
Ulysses S. Grant, formerly commanding the armies of 
the United States, to be general on the retired list of the 
army, with the full pay of such rank. 

Chester A. Arthur. 

The president pro tern, of the senate then announced 
that the nomination would be considered in open ses- 
sion. " The question now is, Will the senate advise and 
consent to this appointment ? All senators in favor will 
say aye. [A storm of ayes.] All opposed, no. [Dead 
silence.] The ayes have it unanimously." 

We cannot better close this chapter than by quoting 
the editorial comments of the Chicago Inter Ocean of 
March 5, under the head of " Rally on the Centre." 

The forty-eighth congress, that halted for a time in 
the path of the rising tide of popular feeling in favor of 
justice to General Grant, turned m its last hours and ran 
with the waves. With the world listening in indignation 
and pity, with the people all over the United States 
bending in sympathy toward the old commander and 
demanding as with one voice that justice be done him, 
congress put quick hand to the work, and it was done 
as it ought to have been done months ago, in a whirl of 
enthusiasm. 

Practically the passage of the Edmunds bill may not 
be of much benefit to a man marked for the grave, but it 
will be like incense burned in his sick room to remember 
that the vote was as it was, and that the applause in the 
senate chamber over the announcement of the result was 
echoed round the world. It was most fitting that a 
democratic house should take action as it. did yesterday, 
and give the last of the line of republican presidents the 
opportunity to approve a measure so near to the hearts 
of the people. 

In this case there was no mistaking the trend of 
popular sentiment, and there are times when the most 
foolhardy of partisans realize that the people must rule. 




1111 ><1 












I 



FAC-SIMILK OF GENERAL GUAXT'S CO.MMISblOX. 



k 



MFE AND SKRVICKS. 6S3 

In the vote of March 4, on the Grant bill, the people had 
their way, and the members of the house scampered into 
line to give expression to an emphasized popular demand. 
It was to the forty-eighth congress the last grand rally 
on the center — on the old flag and the old commander. 
And it will never be forgotten. 



CHAPTER XL. 

PAINFUL ACCIDENT, DISTRESSING SICKNESS AND DEATH. 

Throughout all his military life from Mexico to Ap- 
pomattox General Grant was almost wholly exempt from 
every form of sickness, though it will be remembered he 
suffered for several months from a painful accident at New 
Orleans received just previous to his Chattanooga-Knox- 
ville Campaign. His arduous duties as chief magistrate 
of the nation were borne without any visible strain upon his 
iron constitution. As a sojourner in all climes, and subject 
to the nameless exposures and irregularities of travel, he 
was exempt from every ill. It seemed as if nothing could 
harm his close-knit physique, and that he bore a charmed 
life. 

When on Christmas morning, 1883, it was announced 
that he had slipped and fallen upon the icy pavements in 
New York City the evening previous, very little heed was 
paid to the matter; though it was added that he was 
lame from the effects of it, the public saw in it only a 
trivial accident, worthy of any attention at all, only because 
the injury was sustained by one in whom the public felt a 
keen and abiding interest. But it proved a most distress- 
ing calamity. From it may be dated the long and ex- 
cruciatingly painful prostration which called out such a 
phenomenal volume of condolence. 

Not tliat the cancer which fastened upon his throat can 
be set down as directly caused by that fall. The mys- 




GENERAL GRANT'S SICKNESS. (A SKETCH FROM LIFE). 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 687 

teries of cancerous affeclions bafllc the inquiry of the most 
expert medical skill. But one thing is certain. General 
Grant never rallied from that shock. Perhaps he would 
have been overtaken and slain by the same cruel enemy had 
he suffered no shock of that kind. It can only be said that 
from that moment he did not see a day of health. The 
pain and anguish of his financial troubles which came 
some months later, no doubt had much to do with the 
development of the seeds of disease; how much, will never 
be known and is a much mooted question among physi- 
cians. 

The disease first showed itself in the form of a slight 
soreness of the mouth and throat, supposed to be cankerous, 
rather than cancerous. The family physician seemed to 
think lightly of it. If he really felt that it was alarming 
he kept the secret well, and the public first learned of the 
trouble in a way to excite the least possible apprehension. 
The fact that Senator Hill of Georgia, had died not long 
before, after a long and distressing sickness, caused by 
cancer in the mouth, tended somewhat to stimulate the 
public fear that the malady had found another A'ictim. 
But the reports were so positive in the assurance that 
nothing serious need be apprehended, that the intelligence 
produced hardly a ripple upon the sea of popular thought 
and sentiment. 

It was in the last months of the year 18S4, that the 
people first learned that something, whether serious or 
not, none knew, was ailing his mouth and throat. All 
thi"ough the winter the daily press continued frequent 
mention of his symptoms, and it was evident that he was 
getting worse rather than better, but it was not until late 
in February that the case became so bad that, in spite of 
every effort at concealment, his true condition became 



688 GENEKAI. U. S. GRANT's 

generally known. The conviction that the great defender 
of the Union was the victim of a cancer. 

The waters of that flood permeated the whole countr}' 
— even the South, which once looked upon him as a con- 
queror, have shown by their expressions of deep and keen 
sympathy that the people of that section have come to 
see in him the defender and saviour of a Union in which 
they really have as much interest as the Northein people. 
The swift and concordant action of Congress in restoring 
him to the army, and placing him upon the retired list, 
was only an echo, faint and feeble, of the universal senti- 
ment of the American people. 

Tlie progress of the disease was so rapid tliat by the 
latter part of March the bulletms announced that death 
was hourly expected. For several days the country 
watched with tender solicitude, in expectation that the 
next dispatch would state that the end had come. The 
press news was eagerly scanned morning and evennig, and 
the whole nation seemed almost absorbed in anxiety. The 
sick man looked for early release from his torture, and 
evidently longed for it. To him death had no terrors, and 
the sweet joys of a happy family life had been turned to 
the bitterest gall by his fell calamity. But he rallied. 
Hopes began to be entertained of his final recovery, 
although at no time did his physicians encourage the 
idea as a possibility, — they having pronounced his malady 
incurable; that he was mortally ill, and that whether his 
death be lingering or a sudden one, its shadow was upon 
him. While he had what are called '' well days," when 
he was comparatively free from pain, his son states that his 
system seemed to be entirely broken, his appetite was poor, 
and the power of recuperation was apparently lost. 



LIFE A\r> SKIMICKS. 689 

For many months, and dnrin;^ his ilhiess, General Grant 
had been at work on his " Memoirs," having been spe- 
cially solicitous to finish them ere his powers should fail 
him. His pulilishers announce that they are at last com- 
pleted, and that they will be issued from the press during 
the last month of the present year. In his persistent 
labors on these memoirs, continuing at his task when sufFer- 
ins:: severely from the murderous disease that is now sap- 
ping his vitality, the old hero showed thesame great qualities 
which he displayed in battles with the rebels. He was the 
least excited, though the most interested character on this 
scene, as on those of the' great battles he won. His 
patience antl serenity, under pain and amid conflict, were 
eq^ially disjilayed now as then, and he fought with the 
"monster" Death, as with the Rebellion, — with the obsti- 
nacy of a great mind and a strong constitution. 

There is something exceptionally pathetic in the tor- 
tures to which General Grant was subjected. Cancer is 
unlike ordinary disease. It is not the wasting away of 
nature at any given point, but a distinct and horrible entity, 
— a wild beast — a veritable man-eating tiger, springing 
from the jungle and fastening its terrible fangs upon a 
helpless victim. The system fosters and nurtures this 
beast of prey in the jungle of the blood many years, per- 
haps, before the fatal leap is made. If its work were 
done speedily, like vellow fever, or cholera, or if delirium, 
natuie's aniesthetic, afforded any mitigation, it would be 
less pathetic. Slowly the work goes on, the monster 
tightening his grasp continually, and bringing his fangs 
and claws deeper and deeper in the quick and quivering 
flesh every day, — the victim all the while conscious of his 
fate. 



690 GENERAL U. S. GKANT's 

All history would be searched in vain for a parallel to 
this case in all its fullness. It i-equlred telegraphy to ena- 
ble the distant millions to stand, as it were, by the bedside 
of the sufferer, and of all of the illustrious dead who have 
died since that invention, none have gone to their death by 
so hard a road as this. Abraham Lincoln was killed 
instantly. General Garfield was only dimly conscious of 
his own condition; but General Grant, with no nnpairment 
of a single faculty, with every particle of his brain tissue 
in its normal condition, stood before the world the victim 
of pains by the side of which inquisitorial tortures were 
trifles. 

The nearest approach to a parallel to General Grant's 
case, known to all literature, is found in that supreme c6n- 
ception of Greek dramatic art, Prometheus. That great 
ideal benefactor of the human race is portrayed as bound to 
a rock, the vultures gnawing his vitals, which grew ever as 
they were eaten away, — thus prolonging his agony beyond 
all conception of pain. For more than two thousand 
years the civilized world has stood with tear-wet eyes 
before that terrible picture of agony. Now, at last, a ver- 
itable Prometheus stands before mankind, and as long as 
America is remembered, the Promethean tortures will 
stand out in history as verified in the experiences of Ulysses 
S. Grant. 

The startling and pathetic announcement that General 
Grant's illness was fatal went home to hearts the world 
over. His residence was besieged with sympathetic, 
but inconsiderate visitors, while from all parts of our 
own coiintiy, and indeed from all parts of the world, 
came messages of tender solicitude and substantial proffers 
of aid and hospitality. The impulsive warmth to which 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 69I 

the public feelins^ was stirred reveals as hy a sun burst 
the true regard in which General Grant, the hero and the 
foremost representative American, was held by the people 
of the world. 

On the morning of June i6th, General Grant was re- 
moved from his residence in New York City to the cottage 
of Mr. Joseph Drexel at Mount Mac Gregor near Saratoga, 
being conveyed by rail in the sj^ecial car of William H. 
Vanderbilt. Every precaution had been taken to render 
the journey as pleasant as possible. During the last stage 
of the journey the General suffered greatly from fatigue 
and pain. Arriving at Mac Gregor at 2 p. m., the patient 
was unable to walk to the cottage and had to be carried in 
a chair, and when he reached the house his speech had 
utterly failed him. Dr. Douglas, who accompanied Gen- 
eral Grant and family, stated that his patient had borne up 
wonderfully through the whole day — though, he added, it 
was more strength of mind and will power than physical 
vigor. 

Col. Fred. Grant, in speaking to a correspondent of 
this trij:), said: "Father has surprised us all by keeping up 
so well on the journey. In fact, we expected him to be 
rather exhausted when he reached here, but he seems to be 
doing very well. His voice is stronger to-night than it 
was when he staited, and we have hopes of his regaining 
it in a few days. We are delighted with the place so far, 
and I think father will be greatly benefited by the change. 
We don't look for any permanent benefits now. Dr. 
Douglas will remain here a week at least, and perhaps 
longer. Our plans for the summer depend entirely on 
father's condition, and are likely to be changed at any time. 
If all goes well we will remain here until August, when 
we go to the Catskills." 



692 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

During the early morning hours of July 22d, five weeks 
after General Grant's arrival at Mount MacGregor, it was 
announced from the sick hero's bedside that alarming 
symptoms had appeared during the previous day, and that 
thei'e was grave cause to fear a termination of his life ere 
the close of the day. Consulting physicians were sum- 
moned from New York City, and all of the absent mem- 
bers of the family urged to attend at the earliest possible 
moment. During these five weeks on the mountain the 
General had suffered several relapses that threatened to 
end the heroic struggle he was making for life, but with 
remarkable recuperative powers he was able to rally from 
time to time. 

On the evening of the 20th he had been wheeled in his 
bath carriage from the cottage to a point on the mountain 
distant about one-fifth of a mile, called the Eastern Look- 
out. On this trip he was compelled to alight from the 
vehicle and walk a few rods while the carriage was being 
carried over the mountain railway track — remaining 
scarcely fifteen minutes at the point. He was conveyed 
back to the cottage, where, upon reaching his room it was 
found that he was far moi'e exhausted than was at first 
thought, and extra care was taken of him. 

The following day he was unable to leave his room and 
suffered considerable more pain and discomfort than for 
several days. During the afternoon the fact was appar- 
ent, and could not be concealed by patient or friends that 
he was hourly growing weaker. In a hurriedly written 
note to Dr. Douglass — the General using this method of 
communication, owing to the fact that all attemjjt to speak 
irritated the disease of the throat and caused intense dis- 
tress — he requested the physician to furnish him stimulants 
of some kind to relieve the excruciating pain that was tor- 



LIFE AND SEKVICES. 693 

tuiing- him. Dr. Douglass administered morphine, when 
the old commander fell asleep and secui'ed an hour of rest. 
Later in the afternoon he was attacked with hiccoughs, 
which disturbed and rapidly weakened him. 

The afternoon had been sultry and almost breathless, 
with the thermometer registering as high as 85°. There 
were no reviving elements in the atmosphere and the sun 
went down after a day of stifling discomfort even to per- 
sons in good health. The General remained in his room 
and was not dressed during the day. Sitting in his chair 
listlessly, neither caring to move nor write, in a condition 
not fully aware of, but indifferent to his surroundings, he 
presented a picture of pathetic hopelessness and helpless- 
ness that deeply moved the sti'ongest hearts. Food was 
repeatedly given him, and while he did not repel it, he ex- 
perienced great difficulty in swallowing, as the muscles of 
the throat refused to perform their functions, and the great- 
er part of it was thrown out, and the quantity retained was 
very small. 

At 8:30 it was announced that he was failing rapidly, 
and that he was unconscious and could not be aroused. 
The affecting scene at this time is thus described by a cor- 
respondent: 

"The General was seated in the great cliair that the nurse had 
cushioned with pillows. Mrs. Grant took a place beside her husband 
and fanned him almost incessantly- Dr. Douglass, when questioned, 
said the General had been brought into the parlor so he might benefit 
by freer air; but, though the sick man was coherent when he spoke 
in whispers, he spoke but little, and was sinking surely. The dusk 
had given way to darkness. The General, seeming to take little note 
of occurrences about him, still sat with his face toward the door, 
while the nurse and Mrs. Grant waved fans before his face. Critical 
moments were passing. All felt that the end might at any time 
occur. Mrs. Grant whispered to Dr. Newman shortly before 9 
o'clock, and asked him to offer prayer. The clergyman knelt beside 



694 



GENERAL U. b. GRANT S 



the General and offered prayer, while the family and physician stood 
about with bowed heads. For an hour the patient's pulse had been 
fluttering and weak, but soon after 9 o'clock it steadied and grew a 
shade firmer. Then he lowered his feet and crossed his knees; next 
he raised his hand to his face and rested his cheek against it. 

" Dr. Douglass was beside him, and as these changes took place he 
glanced up significantly into the faces of the family grouped about 
the chair. Finally, as the hour of 10 o'clock drew near, Gen. Grant 
looked up and spoke to his daughter Nellie. Then he indicated a 
purpose to write, and did so. These were instructions for his family. 
Handing one note to Col. Fred, the General looked up into his face 
with large eyes that had in them a pitiful expression. ' I have already 
attended to that, father,' returned the Colonel, as he bent over the 
General. The General addressed other members of the family. The 
pulse Avas growing steadier and the night had passed beyond 11 
o'clock, and a half hour later the sick man demonstrates that he is 
General to the last. The family were sitting on the piazza or stand- 
ing near the windows and entrances. The General beckoned Dr. 
Douglass to his side. ' Tell them all to go to bed,' he whispered, and 
then added, ' There is no earthly use of their sitting up any longer.' 
Dr. Douglass walked out on the piazza and delivered this message of 
command." 

Hourly bulletins were issued from the patient's bedside 
during the 22d, each successive one showing decreasing 
strength and failing powers. At 2:15 p. M. the members 
of the family were grouped in the darkened room, near the 
General. Observing their evidences of feeling, he said, "1 
do not want anybody to be distressed on my account." 
Though dying, he was hero to the last. Forgetful of self 
he murmurs words of comfort and affection to the loved 
members of his family. 

The Chicago Inter Ocean gives the following beautiful 
pen picture of the domestic circle of which General Grant 
was the head. It says: 

" When history comes to its canonization of the name of Grant, it 
will not fail to note the high ideal of domestic life which clusters 
about the name. Whether in the humility of a tanner or the exalta- 



LIFE AND SEKVICKS. 695 

tion of a woiid-adored hero, General Grant was always the same 
model family man. The most beautiful picture of a family ever 
painted by the imagination could not excel in loveliness the ideal 
realized by the Grant family. And during the long months of agony, 
when they have, as it were, lived in a glass house, every movement has 
been in harmony with the best conception of domestic life. Acting 
a part well was impossible, but, true to the instincts of natural affection, 
the spectacle presented has been not only above criticism, but of a 
character to impress all beholders who have any appreciation of the 
higher ranges of living with the charms and merits of family ties. A 
fiction which is truly fictitious has portrayed vice as moving along 
paths decked with flowers, when as a matter of fact the beauty and 
the fragrance are peculiar to virtue, and anything tending to impress 
this truth upon the consciousness must be of the highest usefulness 
to society. 

" General Grant was taciturn and reserved in general deportment, 
but at home he was companionable. No child of his will remember 
him as the stern father, ' ruling well his own household,' but as the 
very personation of loving kindness. As a reward the tortures of 
his long sickness have been relieved by ministries of affection which 
must have been infinitely more precious to him than the sympathy of 
all the world besides, appreciative as he has been of all the gentle 
interest which has been so universally taken in his welfare." 

As the night advanced, the evidences to the friends 
grouped near the sick man of approaching death rapidly 
multiplied- — the inevitable close of the General's long ill- 
ness seemed more and more imminent. The feeblfe pulse- 
beats wore themselves by their rapidity to a fluttering 
throb that could not be gauged beneath the finger of the 
physician. Hypodermics of brandy were frequently given 
to stimulate the flagging phvsical powers, but later this 
failed to afflict the patient, whose vitality and physical 
forces were so far spent as to furnish no footing for re- 
bound. The increased respirations were not alone more 
rapid but more shallow. The lungs and the heart were 
. giving way ; so weak had the patient grown by 3 o'clock 
on the morning of the 23d that, though he frequently at- 



696 GENERAL U. S. GKANt's 

tempted to do so, he was unable any longer to clear his 
throat from the gathering mucus which accumulated and 
remained, and expectoration was impossible. At 4 o'clock 
the significant rattle of mucus that was filling the lungs 
and clogging the throat was noticed — the breathing had 
quickened, the finger nails had become blue, and the hands 
further evidenced the progress of numbness of the extremi- 
ties. At 3 o'clock he had asked for water. These were 
the last words he uttered. 

The scenes and incidents of the closing hour of the weary 
sufferer as he passed to the " Home Beyond," is feelingly 
told in the Associated Press dispatches of the 23d: 

" A few minutes before 8 o'clock, Drs. Douglass, Shrad y and Sands 
stood on the cottage veranda conversing of the condition of General 
Grant, and discussing the probabilities of his death, and the limit of 
life left the sick man; Mrs. Sartoris and Stenograplier Dawson were 
conversing a little distance away, when Henry, the nurse, stepped 
hastily upon the piazza and spoke quietly to the physicians. He told 
them he thought the General was very near to death. The medical 
men hastily entered the room where the sick man was lying, and ap- 
proached his side. Instantly upon scanning the patient's face, Dr. 
Douglass ordered the iamily to be summoned to the bedside. Haste 
was made, .md Mrs. Grant, Mr. Jesse Grant and wife, U. S. Grant, 
Jr., and wife, and Mrs. Fred Grant were quickly beside the doctors 
at the sick man's cot. Mrs. Sartoris and Mr. Dawson had followed 
the doctors in from the piazza, and the entire family was present ex- 
cept Colonel Fred Grant. A hasty summons was sent for him, but 
he entered the sick-room while the messenger was searching for him. 
The Colonel seated himself at the head of the bed, with his left arm 
resting on the pillow above the head of the General, who was breath, 
ing rapidly and with slightly gasping respirations. 

" Mrs, Grant, calm, but with intense agitation bravely suppressed, 
took a seat close by the bedside. She leaned slightly upon the cot, 
resting upon her right elbow, and gazed with tear-blinded eyes into 
the General's face. She found there, however, no token of recogni- 
tion, for the sick man was peacefully and painlessly passing into an- 
other life, Mrs. Sartoris came behind her mother, and, leaning over 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 697 

her shoulder, so witnessed the close of a life in which she had con- 
stituted a strong element of pride. Directly behind Mrs. Grant and 
Mrs. Sartoris, and at a little distance removed, stood Drs. Douglass, 
Slirady and Sands, spectators of a closing life their efforts and coun- 
sel had so prolonged. On the opposite of the bed from his mother, 
and directly before her, stood Jesse Grant, and by his side U. S. 
Grant, Jr., and near the corner of the cot, on the same side as Jesse 
and near to eacli, was Mr. N. E. Dawson, the General's stenographer 
and confidential secretary. At the foot of the bed and gazing direct- 
ly down into the General's face was Mrs. Colonel Fred Grant, Mrs. 
U. S. Grant, Jr., and Mrs. Jesse Grant, while somewhat removed 
from the family circle Henry, the nurse, and Harrison Tyrrell, the 
General's body servant, were respectively watching the closing life 
of the patient, their master. Dr. Newman had rejiaired to the hotel 
to breakfast, and was not present. The General's little grandch Idren, 
U. S. Grant, Jr., and Nellie, were sleeping the sleep of childhood in 
the nursery room above. Otherwise the entire family and house- 
hold were gatliered at the bedside of the dying man. The members 
of the group had been summoned not a moment sooner than it was 
prudent. The doctors noted, on entering the room and proceedinsi 
to the bedside, that already the purplish tinge which is one of na- 
ture's signals of final dissolution, had settled beneath the finger nail.-. 
The hand that Dr. Douglass lifted was fast growing colder than il 
had been through the night. The pulse had fluttered beyond the 
point where the physician could distinguish it from the pulse beats 
in his own finger tips. The respiration was very rapid, and was a 
succession of shallow, panting inhalations, but happily the approach- 
ing end was becoming clear of the rattling fullness of the throat and 
lungs, and, as the respirations grew quicker and more rapid at the 
close, they also became less labored and almost noiseless. This fact 
was in its results a comfort to the watchers by the bedside, to whom 
was spared the scene of an agonizing or other than a peaceful death. 
The wife almost constantly stroked the face, forehead and hands 01 
the dying General, and at times, as the passionate longing to prevent 
the event so near would rise within her. Mi s. Grant pressed both his 
hands, and, leaning forward, tenderly kissed the face of the sinking 
man. Colonel Fred Grant sat silently, but with evident feeling, 
though his bearing was tiiat of a soldierly son at the death-bed of a 
hero father. U. S. (jrant. Jr., was deeply moved, but Jesse bore the 
scene steadily, and the ladies, while watching with wet cheeks, were 



698 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

silent, as befitted the dignity of a life such as was closing before them. 
The morning had passed five ininutes beyond 8 o'clock, and there 
was not one of the strained and waiting watchers but who could 
mark the nearness of the life tide to its final ebbing. Dr. Douglass 
noted the nearness of the supreme moment, and quietly approached 
the bedside and bent over it, and, while he did so, the sorrow of the 
grey-haired physician seemed closely allied with that of the family. 
Dr. Shrady also drew near. It was seven minutes after 8 o'clock, 
and the eyes of the General were closing. His breathing grew more 
hushed as the last functions of the heart and lungs were hastened to 
the closing of the ex- President's life. A peaceful expression seemed 
to be deepening in the firm and strong-lined face, and it was reflect- 
ed as a closing comfort in the sad hearts that beat quickly under the 
stress of loving suspense. A minute inore passed and was closing, as 
the General drew a deeper breath. There was an exhalation like 
that of one relieved of long and anxious tension. The members of 
the group were impelled each a step nearer the bed, and each waited 
to note the next respiration, but it did not come; then — it never came. 
There was absolute stillness in the room and a hush of expectancy, 
so that no sound broke the silence save the singing of birds in the 
pines outside the cottage and the measured throbbing of the engine 
that all night had waited by the little mountain depot down the 
slope. All over. • It is all over,' quietly spoke Dr. Douglass, and 
there came then heavily to each witness the realization that General 
Grant was dead." 

General U. S. Grant was dead! The most remarkable 
career in American annals was ended. At 8 :o8 o'clock on 
the morning of July 23d he breathed his last so peacefully 
that the silent watch around his bed could hardly believe 
that the end had come. But it was all over, and his weary 
spirit took its flight, and in a moment afterward the electric 
spark had sent the message of his death to the uttermost 
parts of the world. 

The great struggle was over. It had been a long and 
trying one. For nine months he had been treated for the 
disease that finally caused his death. Hardly a moment 
had passed during this time, when the patient was con- 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 699 

scious, that he was free from pain that always accompanies 
cancer, but with a fortitude that has challenged the admira- 
tion of the world he bore his sufferings without a word of 
complaint, and met the most excruciating pain as long as 
his strength lasted with a happy smile that always gave 
encouragement to his family and friends; and he gave no 
evidence of the horrible torture through which he was 
passing. The gallant old General looked upon death a 
thousand times without flinching, and when the end final- 
ly came he met it, as he always hoped he would die, in 
perfect serenity and peace. 

Death to him had no terrors, and during the last few 
days he looked hopefully forward to the time when he 
would breathe no more. But while his spirit was willing 
to go, the only regret being the separation from his family, 
his strong physical constitution would not give up its grip 
on life until every vestige of life-giving principle in his 
body had been burned away. It was a quiet struggle, 
with not an unpleasant feature to mar the grandeur of his 
taking off, and if he had been an infant going to sleep in 
its mother's arms he could not have gone to his eternal 
sleep with more complacency. 

The outpouring of universal sympathy and expressions of 
sorrow when the news of the death of General Grant was 
received, knew no boundary. Nations, municipalities, pub- 
lic men, religious and secular bodies, and the pi^ess from 
every part of the world, united in one general tribute of 
honor at the fallen chieftain's bier. From every city, 
village and hamlet of the country came news of mourning. 
Public and business buildings, private houses alike displayed 
signs of sorrow. Flags were at half-mast, and bells sent 
forth their mournful peals everywhere. A complete record 
of the estimate of the character and ability of Genera/ 



yOO GENERAL U. S. GRANx's 

Grant would fill several volumes, yet it would seem as a 
fitting memorial that a few of these should be mentioned. 
Immediately upon President Cleveland's receiving infor- 
mation of the death of General Grant, he sent the following 
dispatch to Mrs. Grant: 

Accept this expression of my heartfelt sympathy in this hour of 
your great affliction. The people of the Nation mourn with you and 
would reach, if they could, with kindly comfort the depths of the 
sorrow which is yours alone, and which only the pity of God can heal. 

And issued the following National Proclamation: 

The President of the United States has just received the sad tidings 
of the death of that illustrious citizen and ex- President of the United 
States, General Ulysses S. Grant, at Mt. MacGregor, in the Slate of 
New York, to which place he had lately been removed in the endeavor 
to prolong his life. In making this announcement to the people of 
the United States the President is impressed with the magnitude of 
the public loss of a great military leader, who was in the hour of 
victory magnanimous; amid disaster, serene and self-sustained; who 
in every station, whether as a soldier or as a chief magistrate, twice 
called to power by his fellow-countryinen, trod unswervingly the path- 
way of duty, undeterred by doubts, single-minded and straightfor- 
ward. The entire country has witnessed with deep emotion his pro- 
longed and patient struggle with painful disease, and has watched by 
his couch of suffering with tearful sympathy. The destined end has 
come at last, and his spirit has returned to the Creator who sent it 
forth. The great heart of the Nation, that followed him when living 
with love and pride, bows now in sorrow above liim dead, tenderly 
mindful of his virtues, his great patriotic services, and of the loss 
occasioned by his death. 

In testimony of respect to the memory of General Grant, it is 
ordered that the Executive Mansion and the several departments at 
Washington be draped in mourning for a period of thirty days, and 
that all public business shall on the day of the funeral be suspended, 
and the Secretaries of War and of the Navy will cause orders to be 
issued for appropriate military and naval honors to be rendered on 
that day. 

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the 
seal of the United States to be affixed. 

Done at the city of Washington, this 23d day of July, A. D. 18S5. 
and the independence of the United States the iioth. 

(Signed.) Grover Cleveland. 

By the President. 

T. F. Bayard, Secreta>y of State. 

Telegrams were received by the -bereaved family from 



LIFE AND SERVICKS. 'JOl 

hundreds of sympathizing friends, among which we give 
the following as specimens: 

Fremont, Ohio, July 23.— Please assure Mrs. Grant and the son 
rowing family that they have the deepest sympathy of Mrs. Hayes 
and myself. R. B. Hayes. 

Mrs. U. S. TiVrtw/.-— Please accept my profoundest sympathy in vour 
great bereavement. The entire Nation mourns the loss of its "first 
soldier and its first citizen. James G. Blaine. 

To Col. F. D. Grant: — The painful news to me of your father's 
death has just been received. The sympathy of invself and family 
goes out from the depth of our hearts' to your mother and all of you 
in your great bereavement. The country is filled with sympathy and 
grief at this news, but the greatness of its loss must grow upon it as 
the future unfolds the coming years. John A. Logan. 

Mrs. Gcu. Gra)ii:—\ have heard with great sorrow of Gen. Grant's 
death. I ofter full measure of sympathy. 

Samuel J. Randall. 

Fort Reno, I. T., July 23.— C<?/. F. D. Grant:— ^\\\ vou please 
express to Mrs. Grant my grief at the loss of my dearest friend and 
comrade, and my sincere sympathy and condolence with her in this 
hour of her great distress.^ 

P. H. Sheridan, Lieutenant. General. 

Col. F. D. Grant: — You have our deepest sympathy. The illness 
of Mrs. Stewart, also Mrs. Hughes and Mrs Russel', prevents a 
personal visit of condolence. Please command me for any service 
you may need. Henry H'ilton. 

The President's proclamation was followed by piocla- 
mations from the Governors of the several States, North 
and South. That of the Governor of New York was as 
follows: 

St.\te of New York, Executive Chamber. — Ulysses S. Grant, 
twice President of the United States, the defender of "the Union, the 
victorious leader of our soldiers and General on the retired list of the 
army, is dead. To the last he was the true soldier, strong in spirit, 
patient in suffering, brave in death. His warfare is ended. After the 
close of his official life, and following that journey around the world, 
when tributes of esteem from all nations were paid him, he chose his 
home among the citizens of our State. He died upon our soil, in the 
county of Saratoga, overlooking scenes made glorious by Revolution- 
ary memories. It is fitting that the State which he chose as his home 
should especially honor his memory. The words of grief and the 
tokens of sorrow by which we mark his death shall honor, too, the 



702 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

offices which he held, and proclaim that praise which shall ever be 
accorded to those who serve the Republic. 

Therefore, it is hereby directed that flags on the public buildings of 
the State be placed at half mast until his burial: and on that day, yet 
to be appointed, all ordinary business in the Executive Chamber and 
the departments of the State Government will be suspended. The 
people of the State are called upon to display, until the funeral, em- 
blems of mourning, and it is requested tiiat at that hour they cease 
from their business and pay respeci to the distinguished dead. 

Given under my hand and the privy seal of the State of New York 
at the Capitol, in the city of Albanj', the 23d day of July, 1SS5. 

David B. Hill. 

By the Governor. 

William G. Rice, Private Secretary. 

The Governor of Iowa issued the following Proclama- 
tion: 

A great man has fallen ; a mighty Nation mourns its most emi- 
nent citizen. The greatest soldier of all times, after a military career 
which was without spot or error, and was uniformly triumphant 
everywhere, and whose management of the largest armies the world 
ever saw has made forever illustrious the name and fame of the 
American citizen-soldier, has made the only surrender ever known to 
him and calmly and fearlessly walked down to the grave " like one 
who wraps the drapery of his couch about him and lies down to 
pleasant dreams." Nor less brilliant and successful were his civil ser- 
vices to his Nation, which will live in the hearts of his countrymen so 
long as the Republic endures — without selfishness, with no thought 
but for the betterment of his fellow-citizens and the perpetuity of a 
Government " by the people, of the people, and for the people.'' 
Ulysses S. Grant goes out in the ripeness of years and full of honors 
— the most sincerely lamented of any of earth's distinguished citizens. 
His memory will remain with us a fragrant heritage forever, and his 
virtues for the emulation of every inhabitant of the land. In respect 
for his memor}', I recommend that our people suspend their usual 
business between the hours of 10 and 4 o'clock the day of the funeral, 
and I hereby direct that all Executive Departments of the State be 
closed that day. Let all the people as one person join in sincere 
respect to his memory. 

BuREN R. Sherman, Governor. 

The following are a few of the press tributes from the 

leading cities of the United States : 

NEW YORK. 

The Times : The name of General Grant will be remembered by 
Americans as that of the saviour of their country in a crisis more 
appalling than any it has passed through since the United States 
became a nation. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. ^03 

Commercial Advertiser ; His few faults will be softened to posterity 
by the memory of his noble virtues, exalted fidelity to country, and 
magnanimity in the hour of victory. 

Mail and Express: No pomp, however grand, and no ceremony, 
however elaborate, can be excessive in such a case as this. 

Brooklyn Eai;le: Like gold from the furnace of the refiner, the 
character of our greatest soldier emerges from the crucible of disease 
cleansed from every infirmity and fitted to circulate as sterling coin in 
the moral Exchanges of the world. 

Sim : What an instructive story is presented in the chronicle of the 
life which is now ended! What lessons and what warnings! What 
encouragement for patriotism, for fidelity, for weariless defense of the 
great interests of mankind ! 

Tribune: The foremost man of -the Nation has closed a career 
second to no other in the history of the Republic. The faults of 
others, which he shouldered through life, fall fiom him at the grave. 

World: Let us speak of him and think of him only as the soldier 
whose fame has not a spot to mar its brilliancy. 

Herald : Sincere patriot, brave soldier, pure-mannered and pure- 
minded citizen — these are Gen. Grant's titles to the respect and love 
of his countrymen now and forever. 

PHILADELPHIA. 

The Times: The unbroken verdict of history will record General 
Grant as hero, statesman, patriot, and as among the wisest and best 
of the world's immortal chieftains. He is at rest, and his memory 
will be fadeless in every clime where the altar of freedom has wor- 
shipers. 

T/ie JVetvs: The lessons of this sublime spectacle are so plain that 
he who runs may read. They are that patriotism is as vital as ever 
in the American breast, that consecration to duty has compensations 
beyond all else, and that "government of the people, by the people, 
for the people, shall not perish from the earth." 

T/ie Press: His charity to all, his absolute absence of malice, his 
chivalry toward a fallen enemy, his love and tenderness for his family, 
above all his sturdy simplicity and quiet dignity of bearing in any 
and all circumstances. 



T/ie Intcr-Ocean : His character lives in the esteem of the Nation — 
a character that sprung into strength and fullness from the obstruc- 
tions of lowly life, bearing with it an ever-abiding sympathy with 
lowly condition. The man who was great enough to stand admired 
in the presence of kings and potentates, receiving the homage of 
nations that knew him alone in his glory, was also great enough to 
hold and cherish the love of the common people, from whom he came 
Great as a soldier, great as a statesman, great in heart, great in inind, 
and great in character, Grant lived a noble career, possible alone, with 
an American. 



704 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

The Tribune : In the midst of misfortune not untouched by shame- 
less calumny, weighed down with physical infirmity and mental suf- 
fering, the man upon whom the whole country leaned barely a score 
of years ago has passed away silently and uncomplainingly, leaving 
behind him an immortal name as a valiant and true soldier who 
turned the scales for the Union in the most deadly peril which ever 
encompassed it. General Grant will be best known in history as the 
foremost soldier of his time, and as the peer of the great soldiers of his 
century. 

The Eve7img Journal: General Grant's example is among the best 
legacies which he has left to posterity. By its stud}' the adolescent 
minds of all civilized lands may learn how to live and how to die. By 
his career the ambitious may know how greatness is to be achieved, 
and how fame is to be won. The student in war may acquire from 
his battles the science of victory. The pattern of his patriotism will 
invite imitation during all the future of history. His continence, his 
probity, his mastery of himself, his steadfastness in friendship, his en- 
dearing domestic traits, his fortitude in all extremes of fortune, were 
among the conspicuous elements of his greatness. Those who make 
the annals of mankind the subject of research will find in his genius 
and character the full perfection of those magnificent qualities by 
which nations are saved in periods of encompassing danger, and are 
led with equal success along the delightful paths of abundance, pros- 
perity and peace. 



Journal: He lived long enough to witness the waning of old ani- 
mosities, and to find himself the center of a regard which knew no 
sectional or party limitations. His fame is secure, and his monument 
is the Union which he helped to preserve. 

Herald : The character of Gen. Grant was the most transparent of 
any of our eminent Americans. No man since Washington has been 
less moved than he by personal ambition. No citizen has been more 
thoroughly and unseffishly a patriot. Like Washington, he did his 
duty because it was his nature, almost his religion, to do so. Gen. 
Grant was incapable of deceit, or envy, or malice, or uncharitableness. 

Evening Record ; Gen. Grant's deeds are his suflicient eulogy. His 
character is best illustrated by his career. A staunch friend, a faithful 
citizen, a model husband and father, a true patriot, a consummate sol- 
dier, and a great General, Ulysses S. Grant was as unique and as ad- 
mirable a character, in his own time and place, as were Washington 
and Lincoln in their generations. 

Transcript : Gen. Grant's title to fame is second only to that which 
has enshrined the name of Lincoln among the illustrious personages 
of all races and times. His generous and confiding nature was such 
that even his mistakes, public or private, added to the universal 
respect now accorded to his character. It will be to the General's 
lasting credit that his ambitions as a commander were always 
patriotic, and that while in command of the United Stales army he 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 705 

never permitted politics to come between him and his duty to the 
General Government. 

Globe : This is no time for criticism, but it inay be truthfully said 
that the mistakes of his political career can probably be charged to 
the good qualities of the man. Henceforth he will only be remem- 
bered for the greatness of his military genius and his patriotic devotion 
to the Union and the liberties of his country. 

CINCINNATI. 

Ti7nes-Star: History, with its thousand tongues, will proclaim U. 
S. Grant the greatest General of modern times. In the days of the 
Rebellion he represented the spirit and power of the North more truly 
than any other man of the period. His endurance, heroism, and inde- 
fatigable energy, united with consummate capacity for leadership, 
fitted him to conquer. 

Telegram : Since the foundation of the American Union two men 
have lived and died, having filled a place in the hearts and affections 
of the people, and have deserved and gathered honors equal with 
those of Gen. Gran^ Those men were George Washington and 
Abrahain Lincoln, and there are none other. 

Post : His work has been perfected. Few men, soldiers or states- 
men, have ever seen so complete finish made of their labors. Not 
only had he completed all the public duties to which he had been 
assigned by his countrymen, both in the field and in the cabinet, but 
he had written a history of his wars, which, however much its conclu- 
sions may be questioned, or even its statements challenged, nmst 
alwas remain the most valuable contribution to history that any actor 
on either side could by any possibility have made. 

BUFFALO, N. Y. 

Express ; He died to be mourned with a sincere sorrow by all his 
countrymen — a sorrow which is a nobler monument to his memory 
than artist's brain has ever conceived, or sculptor's hand ever 
fashioned. 

Commercial Advertiser : In Grant's life there was everything to 
appeal to the ambition and emulation of the living. In Grant's way 
of meeting death there was everything to stimulate the fortitude, the 
admiration of his fellow-men, who, like him, wait for the summons 
that humanity must obey. 

CLEVELAND. 

Plaitidealer : The errors of his Presidential Administration were all 
explained by the business catastrophe that overwhelmed him in after 
years. Himself incapable of deceit, he could not believe in the rascal- 
ity of his friends. But the American people have of late been think- 
ing most of the brave old hero sitting in the shadow of a false friend- 
ship and betrayed trust, bravely sacrificing everything to atone as far 
as he could for the faults of others, and facing with calna courage the 
steady approach of a painful death, cheered only by the assurances 



7o6 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

pouring in from every quarter of the unshaken faith and deep affection 
of his countrymen. 

Leader and Herald : Like Gustavus Vasa, Martin Luther, and 
Abraham Lincoln, he was one of those great men born and nursed in 
the bosom of the multitude to emerge when most needed to lead a 
people through. The last few years of his life were clouded by mis- 
fortunes for which no blame can be laid at his door. His fellow- 
countrymen will deeply inourn his loss, arid wherever an American 
dwells in any part of the world, the tidings of this sad event will cause 
him to bow his head in grief and sorrow over the Nation's loss. 

SAN FRANCISCO. 

The Ghronide ; As a soldier, Grant's fame will rest on his practical 
realization of his objective point and his disregard of everything else 
to reach that. He did his work. He accomplished a result. Is there 
any better test of genius.'' 

The Call : No man since Lincoln in our time and Washington in a 
former epoch, will be so deeply mourned. 

The Examiner : The place which Grant occupied in this country 
will be filled by no other man in this generation. 

The Bulletin : He was not a statesman, but he was the patriot who 
brought the country through the greatest perils it had ever 
encountered. 

The Post : He was the radiant product of American civilization — 
ours to love, honor, and imitate. 

BALTIMORE. 

A)nerica?i : On the pages of American history glow a number of 
illustrious names, but only two stand out so brightly as his. One of 
these is George Washington; the other is Abraham^Lincoln. 

The Sun : Kindly qualities indicating that Gen. Grant was opposed 
to the persecuting aud aggressive spirit of 5)oliticians won for him 
friends at the South and among the Democracy of the North, and il' 
he had not been tempted to surrender for the Presidency his position 
as Commander-in-Chief of the armies of the United States, his after 
life might have been a happier one, and the errors and misfortunes 
that tended to break him down might have been avoided. 

The Daily News : He will be judged kindly now. The gold that 
was in him will be separated from the dross, and patriotism and 
humanity will consign the latter to oblivion. His goodness and 
greatness will be preserved; his services and virtues exioUed; his 
faults and vices forgiven or ignored, and he will find the niche in the 
temple of fame to which he is entitled, and which during life has been 
denied him. 

'J he Herald : Well as the people knew him, they failed to measure 
him fully till misfortune threw him in upon himself and made him 
exhibit Grant — the man in the strenj^th of his manhood. Then it was 
that they saw that it was not destiny, nor favor, nor fortuitous condi- 
tions that raised the obscure militia-man to the head of the greatest 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 707 

army that has taken the field in inodern times, and made him verita- 
bly the first citizen of the Republic, but innate genius, courage, and 
strength of purpose — the elements of true manliness. 

ST. LOUIS. 

The Republican : In the death of Gen. Grant the country loses its 
most illustrious citizen and the world one of its most distinguished 
soldiers. Whatever greatness he possessed — and it is impossible even 
tor his enemies to deny him a large measure of it — was due to his 
career as a soldier. As a soldier he relied on himself ancl became 
great; but he failed of greatness as a statesman, primarily because he 
relied on others, for whose mistakes he was held responsible living, 
though they will not be set against him dead. He was a man single 
of purpose, incapable of deceit, and so warm in his friendships that 
nothing turned him from them. The work which occupied the closing 
hours of his life gnve him an opportunity to display a fortitude higher 
than the courage of the battle field. 

The Post-Di^sfafcJi : Gen. Grant's career is ended. It is a record 
that has lain in the light of the whole world's gaze for twenty odd 
years in the afternoon of the nineteenth century, and, as the record 
of a man sprung from the people to leave behind him, one of the few, 
the immortal names, that were not born to die. 

NEW ORLEANS. 

T/ie Picayune: Brethren of the North and South, let us join 
mournful hands together around that newly-opened grave, remember- 
ing that, while all earthly goods are evanescent, honor, truth, and love 
are eternally secure. 

Times-Democrat : Every soldier heart in this wide land will pray 
God this morning that the generous measures he meted to his foe in 
time of victory may be remembered and meted again to Ulysses S. 
Grant in this his hour of defeat and judgment. 

The States spoke of him as "Great as a soldier; but erring, unscru- 
pulous, arbitrary, and tyrannical as a statesman." 

The Chronicle: A united country mourns an honored son. His 
private virtues were equal to his patriotism and military genius. 

GALVESTON, TEX. 

The News: Gen. Grant, without being comprehensively a great 
man, was one of the most illustrious men of his time. As Gen. 
Grant, and not as President, will Grant stand as an imposing monu- 
mental figure in history. 

The Nezvs: Taking him all in all, from his boyhood to his declining 
ye irs, he was an American of whom all Americans might well be 
proud. He was brave, and generous, and faithful. He never turned 
his back on either friend or foe. His services were great. There were 
great honors conferred upon him, and now that he is no more all his 
countrymen, North, South, East, and West, mourn him. 

The Eveninor Tribune: The feeling in Galveston was one of gen- 



7o8 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



eral and sincere regret. Those of the gray v.-ho had fought against 
him are earnest in their sorrow tiiat a gallant soldier had gone to his 
long resting place. 

SAVANNAH, GA. 

The Momhig Nezvs: The news of Gen. Grant's death will be read 
with profound sorrow in this countij, and with deep regret through- 
out the civilized world. Gen. Grant was a great soldier. Even if 
history should not give him the first place among the soldiers of the 
Civil War, it will rank him with the great soldiers of the world. 
Gen. Grant achieved nothing in civil life that added to his fame. His 
two terms as President were not distinguished for anything that indi- 
cated that he possessed the qualities of a statesman. His intentions 
appeared always to have been good, and, if faults were committed by 
those for whose conduct he was indirectly responsible, he did not 
attempt to avoid responsibility. He suftered for the faults of others 
in silence. There are those who were against him in the War to 
whom he reached out a helping hand when the War was over, and 
when they sadly needed help. He was popular with the soldiers, 
because he knew how to appreciate soldierly qualities. His magna- 
nimity at the Appomattox surrender showed that he was as generous 
as he was brave. 

MOBILE, ALA. 

The Register : He is gone. The grave closes over a brave soldier, 
a man whose impulses, had they been properly directed, would have 
made him the foremost man of his times. The South unites with the 
North in paying tribute to his memory. He saved the Union. For 
this triumph — and time has shown it to be a triumph for the South as 
well as the North — he is entitled to and will receive the grateful trib- 
ute of the millions who in the course of time will crowd this conti- 
nent with a hundred imperial States and spread to the world the bless- 
ings of republican freedom, 

RICHMOND, VA. 

The Dispatch: In our opinion, not only is his " One of the few im- 
mortal names that were not born to die," but his is one of the still 
fewer names that are entitled to immortality upon earth. He is not 
only one of the immortals, but he is one of them by right. He was an 
Agamemnon — a " King of Men." 

The State: But the people of this reunited country — the people of 
the Southern no less than of the Northern States — are in no mood at 
this hour for the critical analysis of the man who has fallen. They 
stand around his bier as they stood in silent sorrow by the stricken 
body of the departed Garfield — all thought of war, all thought of party 
buried, even as will be he who is so soon to be laid in the arms of 
Mother Earth. The greatest General of the Union army is dead. The 
people of the United States respect his memory. 

LOUISVILLE, KV. 

The Evening Times: He was a faithful, untiring, almost pitiless 



LIFE AND SERVICES. ^09 

soldier while an armed enemy remained to menace tlie perpetuitv of 
the Government. When that cnemv laid down his arms tlie warm 
lieart bt-neath the soldier's exterior beat responsive to the touch of 
nature that makes the world akin, and when, in the name of the great 
Government wliich he represented, he said " Go in peace " to the sol- 
diers of the South, he built in their hearts a monument which death 
alone can destroy. 

The Evejiing Post: This is not the time for passing upon the mili- 
tary qualities and achievements of the foremost Union General of the 
War. All criticisms are silenced in the presence of the emaciated 
corpse of a man who so recently commanded 1,000,000 of soldiers. It 
seems but yesterday when he passed in review the battle-scarred 
legions upon their return from the conquest of the South. Whatever 
may be hi-; merits or demerits, both as a soldier and statesman, history 
and posterity must determine. It is sufficient now merely to 
announce that the most distinguished citizen of America has passed 
away to his long home and his last sleep. 

The Co)mnercial: The greatest soldier since the day of Napoleon is 
dead. A nation weeps and the whole civilized world regrets that 
Ulysses S. Grant is dead at MacGregor. 

The Courier-Journal had a lengthy and beautiful editorial from 
the pen of Mr. Watterson, in which the dead General is spoken of as 
a great soldier and a great President 

CHARLESTON, S. C. 

The Ne.-MS mid Courier: It was as General of the armies of the 
United States that Gen. Grant was held in most joyous and honorable 
remembrance by the North, and by the act of the North and South 
alike he died as General of the armies of the United States. The 
North had no thought save of the man of Appomattox, and the South 
had no thought save of him who told the worn and ragged Confeder- 
ate soldiers of Lee's army that they must take their horses home with 
them, as they \\ould need thein for the spring sowing. There is 
peace throughout the land — peace in the North and peace in the South. 
The country is one again in heart, and thought, and hope. The great 
soldit-r who laid in blood the foundation of this second and more 
enduring union is now at his rest. " Let us have peace,'' he said years 
ago, and peace his people have in their hearts and minds. In this 
time of peace there is naught but regard and regret for him for whom 
strife and disquiet are no more. 

OTHER CITIES. 

The Indianapolis N'ezvs: Grant was not for an age, but for all time 
— a sturdy character, peerless in its strength; a simple character, 
modest in every station, pure in every personal expression, the incar- 
nation of bravery in every attribute, "with firmness in the right as 
God gave him to see the right"; America's greatest soldier, one of the 
three of her greatest men to whom it was given to play leading parts 
in her life — Washington, Lincoln, Grant. 



7IO 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 



The Indianapolis Journal: After the conflicts of life, Ulysses S. 
Grant sleeps with the heroes of the ages gone. "There were herot-s 
before Agamemnon," so there will be heroes after Grant; but in his 
day and generation he had no equal. Stern in war, demanding every- 
thing that was necessary to preserve the honor and dignity of his 
country, vet his magnanimity to the conquered surpassed even his 
valor in the field. His sole aim was the honor, the glory and the per- 
petuity of his country. ^ ^ , 

The Minneapolis Tribune: The death of Gen. Grant has come m 
the course of nature and in the fullness of time. His work as a pub- 
lic man was accomplished. The stately epic of his life was rounded 
out and finished His life was spared' until his career had worked 
itself out as a historical whole with an artistic unity. 

The Minneapolis Evening Journal: His death, even in the fullness 
of time and perfect achievements of a noble character, is the world's 
regret and the Nation's sorrow. The Nation's history will preserve 
him to the future. The Nation's tears testify to the affectionate re- 
gard in which he was held in his own time. 

The St. Paul Pioneer-Press says: Few are the biographies that will 
suffer as little from addition or expurgation at the liands of history as 
his whom now the Nation mourns. In the fierce trials of life and 
death, in the stern battles with foes, mortal or invincible, by which his 
life was rounded, the people of America learned to pass a just verdict 
upon one whom thev had chosen for their hero, and posterity will 
not learn to set it aside. It is as the saviour of his country that he will 
be known to the unborn generations who will study dispassionately 
the history of the great civil strife. 

The De'troit Post, in a long review, said: He loved his friends; 
he revered his country; he clung to his choice through good and evil 
report with all the tenacity of the single-minded, and in his choosing 
he rarelv erred. Ask history of its truth and let Sherman and Sheri- 
dan, Tlibmas and McPherson testify. Envy might point at mistakes 
and' tell-tale tongues might tattle of faults to prove the man was 
human. If all else be blotted from the tablets of memory, let this be 
ever retained — let this be clung to even to the last; that the arm of 
Grant was never lifted against the right, for his soul abhorred the 
wrong. 

The Topeka (Kan.) Daily Common-wealth: Called by the breaking 
out of the Civil War from comparative obscurity, the life of Gen. 
Grant thereafter reads as a romance more eventful and wonderful 
than was ever evolved from the brain of a Sue or a Dumas, while his 
fame and conspicuous services are imperishably stamped on the his- 
tory of his country for all coming time, and will be spoken by a grate- 
ful posterity as long as the English language shall endure. 

The Topeka (Kan.) Daily Journal: Gen. Grant in his death leaves 
voluminous material for the historian, for no man of this century has 
taken a more extensive or prominent part in public atVairs. He was 
an eminent citizen of not only his own country, that had honored him 
:is no other citizen or soldier had ever been honored since Washing- 
ton, but he was offered the enviable honor of sovereign recognition 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



711 



by all nations of the world. As a civilian he will be classed among 
the mobt profound and patriotic; his will be the one great '"silent 
statesman and soldier "who listened to the plans of all with honesty 
of purpose and wisdom, successfully marked out the course he thought 
best, often differing from his counsekws. 

The Des Moines (la.) Register : The Nation has had a new insight 
into Gen Grant's character as it has witnessed its reveaiment through 
the shadows of its closing career. The brave and manly way in 
which he took up the burdens which the faults of others had placed 
upon him, the unmurmuring submission with which he has suffered 
pains of a protracted dissolution, the kindness of spirit he has mani- 
fested to all mankind, have touched very deeply the hearts of his 
countrvmen, and called forth their tenderest love and respect. His 
death at this time is crowned not alone with the honor which the world 
always pays to true greatness, but with the appreciative affection 
which it reserves for true nobility. 

I The Milwaukee Evening lVtsconsi)t: His was a finished life. The 
work for his fellow men to which he gave hitnself had been fulfilled. 
As soldier and civilian he accomplished results more magnificent than 
those achieved by any other man who has lived in any age. 

The Milwaukee Joitrnal: The news will not cause shock or sorrow, 
as did that of Lincoln or Garfield. Grant was not a man to reach the 
hearts of the people. He lived to secure rewards of a Nation's grati- 
tude for his services. 

The Milwaukee Sentinel: He has gone where the trustful Lincoln 
abides — gone to join the many dead who fell as they followed his flag, 
leaving a poor handful of gray-haired and weary men to talk over 
the days when they fought with Grant. 



The London (Eng.) Times: "With all his faults, Gen. Grant 
loomed larger in the people's eye than any of his rivals or contempo- 
raries. If his nature was of inetal or far more mixed alloy than that 
of the founder of the Republic, as even his warmest admirers must 
admit, it may be fairly pleaded that he was in this only the creature of 
his time. If his faults were those of his age and country, the military 
qualities on which the fortunes of his country at the critical moment 
depended, were his own." 

The 'L.ondon Daily Telegraph devoted two columns to a review of 
Gen. Grant's military career, and editorially said he was the greatest 
leader whom the United States had produced. 

The London Daily Ne-vs: "There have been few braver rnen than 
Grant. England will sincerely regret his death. It is as a soKiier 
that he will be remembered. His name will ever be associated with 
the great and righteous struggle of which Lincoln was the brain and 
heart and Grant the arm aid weapon." 

City OF Mexico, July it,. — Tiie news of Gen. Grant's death was 
received here bv the press in advance of the official notification to the 
American Legation. On all sides much sympathy is expressed for 
the American people in their great loss. Mexicans feel that the illus- 



7I2 GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

trious soldier and statesman was their greatest friend in the United 
States, and they mourn his death as tliat of a distinguished friend and 
patriot who could look beyond tiie boundaries of his country and 
sympathize with a neighboring people. The Government will take 
appropriate action to show its sympathy for the American people. 

As soon as it wns known that Gen. Grant was dead, sev- 
eral cities tendered public ground for a burial place, a strenu- 
ous effort being made to secure a decision in favor of National 
ground at West Point or Washington. For various reasons 
the members of the deceased's family decided to accept the 
proffer of the Mayor and City Council of New York, and 
Central Park was chosen, but subsequently Riverside Park, 
New York City, was decided upon. It was an evidence of 
Gen. Grant's domestic fidelity that he provided that Mrs. 
Grant should be allowed a sepulchre by his side ; in accepting 
a burial place for Gen. Grant stipulation was made for Mrs. 
Grant's interment at her demise by his side. 

Outside of New York much dissatisfaction and regret 
was expressed that New York should have been chosen as 
a burial place. This feeling was particularly strong at 
Washington, yet it should be conceded that neither the 
government nor the people had the right, nor should they 
affect the presumption to dictate to Mrs. Grant or her fam- 
ily where the body of her illustrious husband should repose. 
The country has his fame ; it glories in his record ; it is 
rich and great in the legacy of the restored Union which he 
left ; it will build his monuments and memorials, but it 
could not, without offense, intrude upon the privacy of his 
darkened household to divest its mourners of a privilege 
which is theirs by all the most sacred and inviolable of all 
titles. 

Riverside Park is a narrow, irregular strip of land lying 
between Riverside avenue and the Hudson River from 'J2d 
street north to 130th street. The average width fro in east 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 713 

to west is about five hundred feet, while the entire length 
is nearly three miles. The area is about one hundred and 
seventy-eight acres, part of which has been laid out in 
walks by the department of public works, while other 
parts still await the landscape-gardener's touch. The 
ground is considerably above the level of the Hudson River. 
The views from the drive are striking and picturesque, giv- 
ing glimpses of the undulating, tree-covered park, stretches 
of the Hudson River and the Weehawken hills opposite. It 
is believed that the vicinity of Riverside Park will in time be- 
come the pre-eminently aristocratic part of New York. 

The point selected for the temporary and permanent 
t^mb is at nearly the extreme northwest corner. The tem- 
porary vault faces the Hudson, and is situated about forty 
feet from the main drive. It is constructed of Philadelphia 
pressed brick in red and black, and faced with blue stone 
trimmings; the walls are twenty inches in thickness. 

When General Grant's family accepted President Cleve- 
land's offer of a National military funeral, Gen. Hancock, 
being in command at New York, was designated by the 
President to take charge of the body at Mount MacGregor, 
and had full charge and direction of its removal to New 
York, and of the ceremonies in that city. The smoothness 
Mild perfectncss with which all the arrangements were car- 
ried out, shows the wisdom of his appointment, and reflects 
great credit upon him and his ability in organizing large 
bodies into an orderly and compact body. President Cleve- 
lantl also named the pall bearers who acted at Jhe final 
obsequies. 

Within twenty minutes after the death of General Grant 
the sculptor, Karl Gerhardt, of Hartford, who had been 
making a study of the General, was summoned to the cot- 



714 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

tage, and was highly successful in making a jDlaster mask 
of the dead hero's face. 

The embalming of the body was satisfactorily accom- 
plished on the following day, the cheeks and face by the 
process made use of, were made to assume a natural full- 
ness, the deeper furrows and lines filling out, and the ex- 
pression of the face was one of peace and rest. 

On the following Monday the remains were placed in a 
casket, and the near friends were permitted to view them. 
The casket was of polished oak lined with copper, and 
covered with dark purple velvet ; a solid silver bar ex- 
tended the entire length on either side, and solid silver 
handles decorated either end ; the lid opened the full 
length, and was ornamented with solid silver handles and 
a heavy plate of solid gold, on which was engraved the 
name, « U. S. Grant." 

The coffin was lined with cream-colored satin in tufts, 
and contained a pillow of some white material. A canopy 
was erected about the coffin. It was eight feet in height, 
and the entire covering and draping were of black broad- 
cloth and satin damask. The heavy curtains on either 
side were ti-immed with chenille fringe, and looped back 
by dark silk cords and tassels. The panels were of black 
broadcloth, ornamented with corded moulding, and the 
corner parts were richly carved mahogany. The Stars 
and Stripes were draped with a slight outward incline from 
the base of the coffin to the floor. Before burial this coffin 
was placed in an air-tight cedar box lined with lead, and 
this in turn was sealed up and riveted within an oval steel 
case. It is estimated that, with the assistance of the em- 
balming fluid, the body will thus remain intact for years 
to come. 

On Monday night, Aug. 3, the family, in a group and 



I.IKE AND SERVICES. 717 

alone, took their iiiial farewell of the remains of the dead 
soldier, and the followiui;- day surrendered his body to the 
Nation. 

Impressive jiublic ceremonies were held at the cottage 
on the morning of Aug. 4. At eight o'clock the doors 
of the cottage were thrown open, and from that hour un- 
til ten o'clock, the time appointed for the commencement 
of the funeral services, a steady throng of people passed by 
the casket and took a last look at the face of him 
whom they loved so well. The visitors were made up 
from the surrounding country — many of whom had driven 
miles in vehicles of all sorts to pay tribute to the heroic 
dead. 

At 9:30 a train of two cars brought General Hancock 
and a large number of distinguished visitors. Two com- 
panies of United States regulars were drawn up to receive 
them. They proceeded to the cottage in the following 
order: General Hancock and Colonel Jones; Admiral 
Rowan and General Sherman; Senator Evarts and Gen- 
eral Rufus Ingalls; Senator Miller and J. VV. Drexel; 
General Hancock's staff; Miss Drexel, her aunt and cousin, 
dressed in deep mourning. On the same train came the 
Loyal Legion, under Past Assistant Paymaster Gilbert 
A. Robinson, Brevet Brigadier General Charles A. Carle- 
ton, Paymaster George De Forest Barton, Brevet Lieu- 
tenant Colonel Floyd Clarkson, Brevet Lieutenant Colo- 
nel August M. Clark and Captain Edmund Blunt. 

The funeral services from the cottage were witnessed 
by fully one thousand persons. The services were most 
impressive. The piazza was filled with clergymen and 
favored friends of the deceased, and the large audience was 
hushed as if the angel of death were in reality passing by. 
The exercises were begun by a Scripture reading of the 



JjlS GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

Ninth Psalm, by Rev. Dr. Agnew, of Philadelphia, after 
which Bishop Harris offered an eloquent prayer. The 
hymn " My Faith Looks up to Thee " preceded the funeral 
discourse by the Rev. Dr. J. P. Newman. Dr. Newman 
began his remarks at 10:30 A. M., and occuiDied one hour 
and twenty-three muiutes in his delivery. Speaking from 
manuscript he took for his text the words from St. Mat- 
thevv, chapter xxv. and verse 31. Owing to the great 
length of this discourse, space forbids giving it in its en- 
tirety. After reviewing General Grant's career and eulo- 
gizing his character as a soldier, a statesman, a private citi- 
zen, a dutiful son, a loving husband, and a tender, sympa- 
thizing father, he closed his sermon as follows: 

Who does not regret the death of such a man? Heaven may be 
richer, but earth is poorer. On one of those dehisive April days 
when hope revived in all our hearts, I said to him : " You are a man 
of Providence; God made you the instrument to save our Nation, 
and He may have a great spiritual mission to accomplish by you, and 
may raise you up." In the most solemn and impressive manner, with 
a mind clear and a voice distinct, he replied: " I do not wish to pro- 
claim it; but should He spare my life it is my intenlion and resolve 
to throw all my influence by my example in that direction." 

He is gone, but shall death defeat a purpose so beneficent.'' Is he 
not mightier in his death than in his life.'' What home has not felt 
the sympathetic chord touched by the invisible hand of his terrible but 
patient suffering.'' How the embers of sectional strife have died out 
on the hearthstone of the Nation! How political animosities have 
skulked away in shame from the peaceful spirit of his last moments.'' 
How sectarian prejudice shrank into oblivion when around his couch 
all bowed in prayer before a universal Saviour! How the young men 
of the republic realized that life is worth living when they felt the 
touch of his great soul! How the little children of the Nation united 
his name with that of father ar;d mother in their purer prayers, and 
opened the tablets of their young memories to receive the image of 
his life and character! And wherever he had touched the circuit of 
the earth, there came from Japan, China and India, from the temples 
nf Jerusalem and the Pyramids of Egypt, from Attic plains and an- 



LIFE AND SKll\'ICKS. 



yic; 



cient Troy, from the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, from the 
Danube and the Rhine, from the Seine and the Thames, the voice of 
love that made all men akin. O who would not even dare to die to 
do so much for mankind? And this was his consolation. When 
near his end he sought to cheer that precious woman who loved him 
as her life : " You ought to feel happy under any circumstances. Mv 
expected death called forth expressions of sincerest kindness from all 
the people, of all sections of the country. The Confederate soldier 
vied with the Union soldier in sounding my praise. The Protestant 
the Catliolic and the Jew appointed days for universal prayer in my 
behalf All societies passed resolutions of sympathy for me and 
petitions that I might recover. It looked as if my sickness had had 
something to do to bring about harmony between the sections. The 
attention of the public has been called to your children, and they 
have b^en found to pass muster. Apparently I have accomplished 
more while apparently dying than it falls to the lot of most men to be 
able to do." O ! " Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my 
last end be like his! " 

And where in all the annals of the church shall we find a dying 
hour so full of divine repose.? His calm faith in a future state was 
undisturbed by anxious doubt. His suffering and wasted body was 
but the casket for the resplendent jewel of his soul, and when death 
ruthlessly broke that precious casket an angel carried the jewel to the 
skies to lay it at the Saviour's feet. In the earlv light of April i, 
when all thought the end was come, the sutferer said to me : " Doc- 
tor, I am going." 

" I hope the prospect of the future is clear and bright," was my re- 
sponse; and the answer came: "Yes; oh, yes!" Then followed a 
scene of infinite tenderness. The honored wife, the precious daugh- 
ter, the devoted sons and their wives, each in turn approached and he 
tenderly kissed them. " Do you know me, darling.? " was the loving 
wife's inquiry, and he whispered back: " Certainly I do, and bless you 
all in my heart." Such love melted the marble heart of Death, and 
the "King of Terrors" fled affrighted. The sufferer revived. Heaven 
added months to a life so dear to us all. When he had recovered 
sufficiently, I asked him : " What was the supreme thought on your 
mind when eternity seemed so near.'" 

"The comfort of the consciousness that I had tried to live a good 
and honorable life," was the response which revealed the hidden life 
of his soul. Again the angel of death cast his shadow over the one 



720 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

a Nation loved. Amid the gathering gloom, I said: '•'■ You may have 
many awaiting you on the other side." 

" I wish they would come and not linger long," was the answer of 
his Christian faith and hope. They came at last. They came to 
greet him with the kiss of immortality. They came to escort the 
conqueror over the "last enemy" to a coronation never seen on 
throne? of earthly power and glory. Who came.'' His martyred 
friend, Lincoln.'^ His companion in arms, McPherson.? His faithful 
Chief of Staff, Rawlins.'' His great predecessor in camp and cabinet, 
Washington.'' And did not all who had died for Liberty come.' O ! 
calm, brave, heroic soul, sing thou the song of Christian triumph: 
"O, death, where is thy sting, O, grave, where is thy victory ? Thanks 
be to God, which giveth us the victory, through Jesus Christ, our 
Lord." 

And that victory was at hand. From his view on Monday at the 
eastern outlook he was to ascend to behold a grander vision. Tues- 
day came and went. Night drew on apace, and death seemed immi- 
nent. Around his chair we knelt in prayer for some divine manifes- 
tation of comfort. Our prayer was heard. The sufferer revived. 
Again he wrote messages of love and wisdom. The night wore 
away. Wednesday dawned on hill and dale. Hope revived. His in- 
tellect was clear, and his consciousness was supreme. Again he wrote, 
and again he whispered the wishes of his heart. As came the even- 
tide, so came his last night. From out of that chair wherein he had 
sat and suffered, and wrote and prayed, tenderly he was carried to 
that couch from which he was never to rise. Around him we gath- 
ered and bowed in prayer to commend his departing spirit to the love 
and mercy of Him who gave it. He answered in monosyllables to 
questions for his comfort. The brain was the last to die. All were 
watchers on that memorable night. Recognitions were exchanged. 
A peaceful death and consciousness to the last breath were granted 
unto him. The last night had passed. 

'Tis morning. The stars have melted into the coming light. The 
rosy fingered morn lifts the drapery of the night. The distant moim- 
tains stand forth aglow. The soft, pure light of early dawn covers 
earth and sky. Thedewdrops sparkle on the grass and in the daisy's 
cup. The birds from their sylvan coverts carol the melody of a 
thousand songs. The world rejoices, and its many minstrels challenge 
the harpers of the sky. In an humble cottage, prone upon his couch, 
lies "our old commander." He is dying! 



I-IFE AND SEU\'ICES. 72 1 

'Tis morning, and in the light of that day thousands of earnest 
faces flasli with renewed concern. From many a shaded lane 
and mountain slope, from many a farmhouse and splendid man- 
sion, eager eyes look toward the mount of suffering and breathe a 
prayer to God for the one we loved. Alas! he is dead. 

'Tis morning. It is the promise of a brighter day. The trumpeters 
of the skies are sounding the reveille. Their notes have reached 
the earth. Their notes have reached our General's ear. He has gone 
to join the triumphant host. 'Tis morning in Heaven! 

The services were closed with the hymn, "Nearer My 
God to Thee." The music was in charge of Chorister 
Camp, of Brooklyn. The benediction was pronounced by 
Bishop Harris. 

Shortly before i o'clock the body was brought out by the 
main entrance of the cottage, being borne down the steps 
by thirteen veterans, members of U. S. Grant Post 327, 
Brooklyn, and was preceded by a detachment of soldiers 
and two buglers playing the " Dead March in Saul." Gen. 
Sherman and Col. Fred. Grant and Jesse and Ulysses 
Grant walked two by two in advance. Then came Gen. 
Frederick Dent, a brother of Mrs. Grant, and Dr. Sharpe, 
brother-in-law of Mrs. Grant; Gen. J. A.J. Cresswell and 
the Mexican Minister, Senor Romero; a detachment of 
artillery with arms reversed, marching as infantry; Gen. 
Hancock and staff; Senators Evarts and Miller; Gen. Horace 
Porter, Thomas Ochiltree of Texas; Dr. Douglass, Gen. 
Rufus Ingalls, Admiral Rowan, and many friends of the 
Gene^ral. 

The military were drawn up and a salute was paid the 
remains as they passed to the depot, and the throng stood 
with uncovered heads while the casket was borne to the 
car. The mountain train waited at the little rustic depot. 
The transfer from the cottage to the train was completed 



722 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 



without difficulty. Among those representing the mihtary 
were the following: 

Gen. W. S. Hancock, Gen. William T. Sherman, Gen. 
Rufus Ingalls, Gen. H. A. Perry, Col. Sutherland, Col. 
John P. Nicholson, Lieut.-Col. Finley Anderson, Capt. G. 
S. L. Ward, Capt. John H. Weeks, and Lieut. Eugene 
Griffin. The guard of honor, U. S. Grant Post, Brooklyn, 
consisted of Col. William H. Barker, Maj. B. R. Corwin, 
Dr. George W. Brus, Reese B. Gwillim, J. P. Howalt, 
Commander John H. Johnson, Henry W. Knight, R. S. 
Mackellar, William McDonald, William J. McKelvey, 
George J. Collins, Noah Tibbitts, George B. Squires, and 
six men of the Legion of Honor. 

The general mourners were represented by William M. 
Evarts, Admh-al Rowan, Warner Miller, Joseph W. 
Drexel, Potter Palmer, Gen. J. A.J. Cresswell, and others. 

At I o'clock the order to start waS given, the bluffs and 
ridges on each side of the track were densely thronged 
with people, standing with uncovered heads, in hushed 
sadness, disturbed only as the heavy half-minute guns from 
the bluff above thundered forth their sad farewell. The de- 
scent to Saratoga was safely accomplished; on approaching 
the town the train was saluted with half-minute guns by a 
battery from the 4th U. S. Artillery. 

At 1 :5o p. M. the train came to a full halt alongside of 
the train which was to convey the remains and party to 
Albany, a transfer being necessary from the narrow gauge 
road that leads to Mount MacGregor. Thousands of per- 
sons had assembled at this point and stood in respectful 
silence with uncovered heads; the buglers playing a dirge 
while the precious casket was removed from one car to the 
other. 

The car " Woodhiwn " was used as a funeral car; the 



I.tFE AND SKRVICES. 733 

entire train ot nine cars was bcaiitifiillv draped; no wood- 
work except the sashes of the windows was visil)le. The 
engine-lender was draped with pleated black, radiating from 
a rosette center. The sides of the cab were covered in like 
manner. Black cloth was draped from the boiler-rails 
and the front was fixed with taste. The funeral car 
" Woodlawn" was placed in the panels and centers, and 
the National flag was festooned gracefiill\', but so that 
there was no flutteiing. The other cars were not so elab- 
orately finished, but all were draped with good taste. 

The nine cars were occupied as follows: The funeral 
car was occupied by the Brooklyn Guard of Honor and six 
men of the " Loyal Legion," with a detachment of regu- 
lars and two men of Wheeler Post G. A. R. ; car No. 2, by 
the clergy and Dr. Douglass; third, the sons and notable 
mourners; fourth, General Hancock and his staff; fifth, 
Governor Hill and staff; sixth, the Press; seventh and 
eighth, the military escort; ninth, baggage. 

The scene at Saratoga was most impressive arid never 
to be forgotten by those who witnessed it. The village 
church-bells and the fire alarm tolled forth their deep- 
mouthed tones, the cannons on the hillsides thundered 
forth the sounds familiar to the great chieftain in his prime. 

At every street-crossing, cross-roads, and village through 
which the train passed, the resident population turned out 
en masse to witness the passage of the funeral train. At 
3 140 the train reached Albany, where the casket was trans- 
ferred from the train to the funeral car by the members of 
the U. S. Grant Post, and the line of march was taken up 
to the State Capitol. 

At the head of the column came Gen. Hancock on a 
black charger, accompanied by his staff. The Chief Mar- 
shal of the day, Maj.-Gen. Farnsworth, followed with his 



724 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

staff. In the first division, headed by Maj.-Gen. Joseph B. 
Carr and staff, were about 1,500 members of the State 
National Guard. Next came the funeral car, drawn by six 
black horses. 

The car comprised a platform set on a heavy truck and 
covered with black cloth. Upon this was a dais covered 
with flags, upon which the casket rested. Falling down 
the sides from the platform to within two or three inches 
of the ground was heavy material pleated over and relieved 
by full festoons of black cloth. The uprights supported a 
dome of pyramidal form surmounted by a ball. Across 
the eaves was a series of festoons with tassels in between. 
The uprights were draped with flags caught up gracefully 
about a third the distance above the platform. The car 
was flanked by Company E, Twelfth United States In- 
fantry, Lieut. Witherspoon, and a delegation of U. S. 
Grant Post, as a guard of honor, and following it came the 
pall -bearers and friends of the deceased in carriages. The 
first carriage bore Dr. Douglass, the Rev. Dr. Newman 
and Dr. Shrady. With Gov. Hill were Gen. W. T. Sherman 
and Gen. D. D. Wylie of the Governor's staff. The State 
officers, members of the Legislature, city officers, and Com- 
mon Council occupied succeeding carnages. None of the 
Grant family was in the procession. The sons and male 
relatives of the General went to the Executive Mansion, 
where they were the guests of the Governor. 

The Second Division attracted much interest, being large- 
ly composed of men who fought under the illustrious Gen- 
eral, both in the Southwest and in Virginia. Gen, James 
M. Warner, a gallant veteran, was in command of the divi- 
sion, which contained 3,000 or 3,000 men. 

The Third Division had 1,500 men, of whom 500 were 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 725 

furnished by the Grant Chib and 350 by the German sing- 
ing societies of Albany. 

When the head of the procession readied the Capitol the 
military drew up in line on the south side of State street 
and presented arms as the funeral car passed. The regulars 
entering the Capitol, took possession of the vestibule and 
cleared the space around the catafalque. The remains, 
after a few preparations at the hands of the undertakers, 
were placed in the catafalque. An inspection of tiie body 
showed that the embalming process had been completelv 
successful, no traces of decomposition being noticeable. 

The catafalque, under which on a dais covered with flags 
the handsome purple and plate glass casket rested, was a 
model of elegance, simplicity and good taste. It was per- 
fectly square, and as high as the low ceiling would permit. 
Two narrow strips of royal purple silk ribbons around the 
top relieved, and at the same time set off the somberness of 
the black, and the roof was upholstered on the under side 
with a delicate lavender colored satin. 

The procession in the order of its formation filed through 
the Capitol and then at 5 p. m. the doors were thrown open 
to the public. During the afternoon and the entire night 
dense crowds passed rapidly through the building, being 
permitted to walk two abreast on each side of the casket 
and by 10:30 a. m. of the following morning, at which 
time the doors were closed, over 77,000 people had viewed 
the remains, and thousands more were shut off. 

At 1 1 : 30 the guard of honor, with their piecious bur- 
den, placetl the casket again within the funeral car, prepar- 
atory to its transfer to New York City — the line of march 
was taken up amid the dull boom of cannon and the tolling 
and chiming of the church bells of the city — all along the 
line of march to the depot, the procession was viewed by 



726 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

a dense throng. The remains were placed in the car 
" Woodlawn," the entire train being composed of the same 
cars that brought the remains from Saratoga — with two 
cars added, occupied by the New York Committee of one 
hundred. At every station, village and town there were 
tokens of mourning, and seemingly the entire resident pop- 
ulation had turned out to show their respect to the nation's 
dead, as the train hurriedly passed by. At precisely 5. p. 
M., on schedule time, the memorable and impressive train 
arrived at the Grand Central Depot. General Grant's last 
journey had ended, and from the start at Saratoga there 
had been no clang of bell or sound of whistle from the 
engine, so perfectly had all of the arrangements been carried 
out. 

Without unnecessary delay the casket was transferred 
from the train to the catafalque, which was drawn by 
twelve black horses, each led by a colored groom. When 
all was in readiness, solemnly and slowly the long col- 
umn rolled down Fourth avenue, under escort of the va- 
rious regiments composing the National Guard of New 
York ; a file of mounted police officers heading the ad- 
vancing column. After them, mounted on a black horse, 
came General Hancock and staff. Next came a battery of 
light artillery, preceded by the Fort Hamilton band. Fol- 
lowing these were four companies of U. S. Regulars. The 
next following were two companies of armed marines and 
two companies of men-of-wars men preceded by Rear Ad- 
miral Jouett and his staff. Then followed General Shaler, 
a battery of artillery, Gilmore's band, and four companies 
of the National Guard. After the soldiers came an open 
carriage in which sat Rev. Dr. Newman and Dr. Doug- 
lass — then the funeral car, behind which marched Under- 
taker Merritt, followed by carriages containing members 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 737 

of the dciul General's family, Governor Hill and his staff, 
Mayor Grace and olHcers of the municipal government, 
the members of the Committee of One Hundred, and 
delegations from the Senate and Assembly of the Statei 
following which was the Second Brigade of the National 
Guard, composed of four regiments. 

All along the line of march every inch of available 
space was thronged with people, from the housetops to the 
curbstones, as the catafalque approached. Men uncovered 
and bowed their heads, the women looked straight in front 
of them, awesome, and deeply impressed. The regiments 
marched to ^low music, and with reversed arms. On 
Broadway all business houses were closed, but every win- 
dow held spectators. 

Arrived at the City Hall where were assembled many 
thousands of people, the casket was removed from the 
funeral car by the Guard of Honor, into the vestibule, where 
it was placed upon a catafalque. The vestibule had been 
heavily draped, from which depended two large electric 
lights, giving the place the appearance of a massive and 
elaborately wrought sepulchre. Looking down upon the 
catafalque from a black pedestal standing on the central 
stairway, which was completely hidden in folds of black, 
was the first bronze bust taken from the plaster cast of the 
hero made by^ Rupert Schmid, of Munich, last April. Be- 
neath the bust on the right was a laurel wreath and sword, 
in the center an eagle, and on the right a spear. The in- 
scription was written in the plaster cast by General Grant 
himself, and reads : 

*' Article of capitulation — Unconditional surrender. 

«U. S. Grant." 



728 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

At the foot of the casket stood a bronze medallion of the 
dead General's head, framed in black and purple. 

At 9 o'clock P.M. the gates were opened to allow the 
public to view the face of the dead ; from this hour until 
I o'clock A. M. two great streams of people poured into the 
hall; orderly, well-behaved and sorrowful men, women and 
children of all ranks, each one betraying in some way, by a 
look or an action, their sorrow at the death of the great 
soldier. The police arrangements were perfect, and at no 
time did a hitch occur to mar the peaceful quietness of the 
scene. At 6 o'clock a. m. on the following day the gates 
were again opened, and the vast multitude, many of whom 
had waited for several hours, hurriedly viewed the remains 
of the hero of Vicksburg and Appomattox. Over three 
hundred thousand people passed through the vestibule of 
the City Hall, while the body lay in state. 

On Saturday, Aug. S, the last sad rites were paid to 
the dead hero. A description of this grand funeral pageant 
and the closing scenes are graphically given in the Asso- 
ciated Press dispatches of that day. 

At 8 o'clock, upon the very stroke of the hour, the head of the mili- 
tary column that had been forming for hours arrived at the postoffice. 
On the park side of Printing House Square and on the park side of 
Broadway the people were like a slowly-moving stream in intensely 
cold weather, and the tendency to stagnate and then^top altogether, 
was constant. Suddenly, in the midst of the most strenuous efforts 
of the police to induce the crowd to keep moving, there was a cry of 
"Here's Hancock!" and all motion and movement in the crowd 
ceased at once. A half battery of the Fifth Regiment, with four guns 
and selected men, arrived at the postoH'ice, and formed lines on each 
side, leaving space for the rapidly arriving troops. At twenty minutes 
past 8 o'clock Gen. Hancock and his staff arrived at the Battery. He 
rode rapidly up to the city hall. At ten minutes to 9 o'clock the 
members of the Liederkranz Society, accompanied by a selected band 
of trombones and French horns, made their way through the heavy 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 729 

lines of police and took thoir station on the steps of the Citv Ilall. 
They sung tirst the " Pilgrim Chorus" Irom "Tannhauser," foUoweci 
by Schubert's " Spirit Choir." 

At 9: 15 o'clock a detachment of the Fifth United States Artillery, 
composed of eighty men^headedby the Davids Island band, marched 
to the city hall, under command of Col. W. B. Beck. The men formed 
two lines on the steps from the front of the catafalque to the pave- 
ment. Then a regimental band was stationed on the pavement at the 
right and rendered a dirge, while the Guard of Honor marched around 
the building and entered at the side. At half-past nine the body was 
in charge of nine members of U. S. Grant Post, No. 227, of Brooklyn. 
The charge was transferred to the Guard of Honor, which had just ar- 
rived. 

The scene at the entrance to the City Hall at this time was impos- 
ing. The catafalque, under the electric light in the corridor, the 
flowers in the background, the gates in the front open, and the line of 
military on each side of the entrance, all thrown into bold relief 
against the dark background of drapery, made a subject for a great 
picture. Presently the black funeral-car was observed coming into 
l^osition, drawn by twenty-four jet-black horses, each in mourning 
trappings, and with a colored groom at the head of each. The car 
was S}4 feet wide, i6j!^ feet long, and 14^ feet high. The wheels 
were concealed from view by heavy drapery of cloth with bullion 
fringe. The black canopy was supported by four stanchions, and five 
black plumes rose from it — one in each corner and one in the center. 
There were four steps of elevation to the car, on the top one of which 
the coffin rested. At the rear of the car was placed a series of steps 
leading from the ground to the platform upon which the casket was 
carried. 

At twenty minutes to 10 the pall-bearers arrived. They were as, 
follows: Gen. Sherman, U. S. A.; Lieut. Gen. Sheridan, U.S.A.. 
Admiral Porter, U. S. N. ; Rear Admiral Worden, U. S. N. ; Gen. J. E 
Johnston, Virginia; Gen. S. B. Buckner, Kentucky; George S. Bout 
well, Massachusetts; A. J. Drexel, Pennsylvania; George W. Childs, 
Pennsj'lvania; John A. Logan, Illinois; George Jones, New York; 
Oliver Hoyt, New York. 

They were recei\ ed by Mayor Grace in the corridor. When in 
position to move Commander Johnston gave the order, '' Lift the re- 
mains," and the twelve men laid hands on the silver bars. "March!" 
was the next order, and the coffin was lifted. At twenty minutes <?* 



730 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

lo it was borne down the steps to the car, Commander Johnston 
stepping aside wliile the guard carried the caslcet up the steps to the 
dais. Having deposited it on the car, they filed down the steps and 
took their positions. 

After Undertaker Merritt had arranged the casket on the platform 
of tlie funeral-car the steps were removed, and the last journey of the 
General was ready to begin. Col. Beck moved to the head of the line 
of black horses, gave the order to " move on," and the great car 
rolled out into Broadway. The car was immediately followed by the 
Loyal Legion guard. The clergy and physicians, who had paid 
their last homage to the dead General by alighting from their carriages 
and attending the body to the hearse, followed next, in this order: 
Rev. Dr. Newman, Bishop Harris, Bishop Potter, Rev. Dr. Cham- 
bers, Rev. Dr. Field, Rev. Dr. Bridgeman, Rev. Dr. West, Rev. 
Father Deshon, Rev. Robert Collyer, Rabbi Browne, and Drs. 
Douglass, Shrady and Sands. At five minutes of nine they were 
fully formed, with the organizations in the streets facing Broadway 
ready to fall in line, and the funeral cortege was under way. It had 
not proceeded beyond Duane street when there was a delay of more 
than an hour while the military organizations were deploying into 
column to precede the funeral car. At fifteen minutes past eleven it 
was again started, and moved on without further delay up Broadway 
to Union square and Fifth avenue. As the catafalque passed Grace 
Church at Broadway and Tenth street the chimes were played, and 
this, together with the plaintive strains rendered by the band, pro- 
duced a most mournful effect. All along the line of march the great- 
est deference was paid as the remains passed. A sea of uncovered 
heads was visible for blocks, and a weird silence reigned. The fu- 
neral-car, with the casket resting in it, and surrounded by the pall- 
bearers and military escort, was photographed before leaving the City 
Hall plaza. 

At precisely fifteen minutes past ten o'clock A. M. the head of the 
procession passed Fifth Avenue Hotel. At 3:20 p. M. the last of it 
went by, making the time of passage exactly five hours and five 
minutes. This procession moved by company fronts throughout, so 
far as the military were concerned, or in files of not less but frequent- 
ly more than eighteen front with the Grand Army men, veteran asso- 
ciations, and civilians generally, and in close order, while the car- 
riages were driven never less than two abreast, commonly three and 
frequently four, so that throughout its formation it was a very com- 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 731 

pact procession. It is not recalled that the time occupied in its pas- 
sage has ever been exceeded by any procession in this country. And 
then, too, the step taken was not the usual funeral pace, but when- 
ever practicable the ordinary route step of a moving column was 
maintained, so that more rapid progress was made than with similar 
pageants generally. Indeed, the immensity of the procession had 
been fully anticipated and every eilbrt made to quicken its movement 
without unseemlv hurrying, in order that all who desired might par- 
ticipate in it. Thus it is apparent that, considering the amount of 
time consumed, the close order of the formation, and tlie rapidity' of 
its movement, this procession exceeded all previous demonstrations 
of its kind in the numbers participating in it. Of course it would be 
the merest guesswork to give the number composing the column, 
but the most intelligent estimate would make it not less than Jorty- 
five thousand. It was a most admirably managed, imposing, and beauti- 
ful procession. It w^as no improvised Fourth of July affair, nor, though 
composed largely of State militia. Grand Army men, and civilians, was 
it conducted in the usual amateurish manner of so many demonstra- 
tions. It was commanded by Maj.-Gen. W. S. Hancock in person, 
who is a soldier by instinct and training, a strict disciplinarian, and 
utterlv opposed to all tomfoolery and nonsense. It moved on time, and 
when designated organizations were not ready to fall into place, 
others were promptly started, so that there was no hitch. The de- 
tails had been attended to and approved by Gen. Hancock. Thus, 
when passing the Fifth Avenue Hotel it was a complete and perfect 
column, with no breaks or outward gaps, and save the two or three 
halts ordered to rest the men, it moved along continuously and even- 
ly, like a vast army on review, until the last man had passed. 

At 4:30 o'clock the head of the column reached the 
tomb at Riverside Park. The order of arrival and the 
subsequent order of exercises were as follows 

" Dr. Newman and Bishop Harris occupied the first carriage, 
then the clergy, and then Drs. Douglass, Shrady and Sands. The 
bearers came after these. Gen. Joe Johnston rode beside Gen. Sher- 
man, and Buckner and Sheridan were paired, while Gen. Logan and 
ex-Secretary Boutwell followed, and other distinguished men came 
also. The bearers and those invited alighted and took places near the 
tomb. The David's Island band, playing Chopin's Funeral March, 



^32 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

came into view, while behind the black plumes of the funeral-car 
could be seen. The car stopped abreast of the tomb. The guard of 
honor ascended to bear down the casket. Col. Beck formed his two 
companies of escort in a hollow square between the tomb and the 
hearse. The family carriages had drawn near. The occupants 
alighted and took positions near the foot of the steps of the car. So 
thev stood while the casket was being removed from the car, and 
when it was borne into the hollow square toward the vault the rela- 
tives followed in this order: Col. Fred. Grant and wife, Mrs. Sartoris 
and the Colonel's children, Julia and U. S. Grant; U. S. Grant, Jr., 
and wife, leading little Nellie, the daughter of Jesse Grant; Jesse 
Grant and wife, U. S. Grant second (the son of Orville Grant), with 
Mr. Fred Dent and Mrs. Dent, Dr. Cramer and wife, Potter Palmer 
and wife, and Hon. John A. Cresswell and wife. The cedar case 
rested on supports at the door of the sepulchre. The casket was de- 
posited therein. Meade Post, No. i, of Philadelphia, represented by 
fifteen men, circled the casket. The commander took his post at the 
head, with officers and post commanders at the foot. The chaplain 
stood at the foot, and the colors were placed in front. The ritual ser- 
vice was then performed. 

The Post Commander, Alexander Reed, said : 

Assembled to pay the last sad tribute of respect to our late com- 
mander and illustrious comrade, U. S. Grant, let us unite in prayer. 
The chaplain will invoke the divine blessing. 

Post Chaplain C. Irvine Wright then prayed as follows: 

God of battles, leather of all, amidst this mournful assemblage, we 
seek Thee, with whom there is no death. Open every eye to behold 
Him who changed the night of death into morning. In the depths 
of our hearts we would hear the celestial word ; " I am the resurrec- 
tion and the life. He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet 
shall he live." As comrade after comrade departs and we march on 
with ranks broken, help us to be faithful unto Thee and to each other. 
We beseech Thee look in mercy on the widow and children of our 
deceased comrade, and with Thine own tenderness console and com- 
fort those bereaved by this event, which calls us here. Give them 
the oil of joy for mourning — the garment of praise for the spirit of 
heaviness. Heavenly Father, bless and save our country with the 
freedom and peace of righteousness, and through Thy great mercy, a 
Saviour's grace and Thy Holv .Spirit's favor, may we all meet at last in 




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LIFE AND SERVICES. 735 

joy before Thy throne in heaven, and to Thy great name shall be 
praise forever and forever. 

All Comrades, Amen. 

Post Commander Alexander Reed then spoke as follows: 

We are called together to fulfill the last sad rites of respect to our 
conu-ade of the war. The present, full of the cares and pleasures of 
civil life, fades away, and we look back to the time when shoulder to 
shoulder on many battle-fields or around the guns of our men-of-war, 
we fought for our dear old flag. We may indulge the hope that the 
spirit with which, on land and sea, hardship, privation, and danger 
were encountered by our dead heroes may never be blotted out from 
the history or memory of the generations to come — a spirit uncom- 
plaining, obedient to the behests of duty, whereby to-day our national 
honor is secure, and our loved ones rest in peace under the protection 
of the dear old flag. May the illustrious life of him whom we lay in 
the tomb to-day prove a glorious incentive to the youth, who, in ages 
to come, may be called upon to behold the destiny of oui- country. 
As the years roll on we, too, shall have fought our battles through 
and be laid at rest, our souls following the long column to the realms 
above, as grim death, hour by hour, shall mark its victims. Let us 
so live that when that time shall come those we leave behind may say 
above our graves: " Here lies the body of a true-hearted, brave, and 
earnest defender of the republic." 

Junior Vice Commander Louis A. Moore (laying a wreath of ever- 
green upon the coftin) : 

In behalf of the Post, I give this tribute — a symbol of undying love 
for comrades of the war. 

Vice Commander John A. W^eidersheim ( laying a bunch of flowers 
upon the coffin) : 

Symbol of purity, we offer at this sepulchre a rose. May future 
generations emulate the unselfish devotion of even the lowliest of our 
heroes. , 

Post Commander A. J. Sellers (laying a laurel wreath upon the 
coffin) : 

Last token of affection from comrades in arms, we crown these re- 
mains with a symbol of victory. 

Rev. J. W. Sayers, chaplain-in-chief of the Department of Penn- 
sylvania, G. A. R., delivered an address, after which Rev. II. Clay 
Trumbull offered prayer. The bugle-cail "rest" was then sounded. 

Dr. Newman and Bishop Harris then read the ritual service for 
burial of the Methodist Episcopal church. 



726 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

Directly behind the burial party stood Gen. Hancock. At his el- 
bow were President Cleveland, Vice-President Hendricks, and mem- 
bers of the cabinet. Near the head of the casket, on the right, Sher- 
man and Sheridan in full uniform were uncovered the entire service. 
At their sides were ex-Presidents Arthur and Hayes, and Senator 
Sherrnan. On the other side of the casket, opposite, were Admiral 
Porter, Fitz Hugh Lee, Gen. Gordon, and Gen. Buckner. When the 
religious services had ended the trumpeter of Company A, Fifth Ar- 
tillery, stepped close to the casket and sounded the tattoo. Little 
Julia then laid on the coffin a wreath "To Grandpapa." 

Half a minute later two regiments of the First Division of the 
National Guard fired three volleys of musketry over the tomb. Fol- 
lowing them. Battery F, Fifth United States Artillery, of four guns, 
fired three salvos, after which the " President's salute " was fired by 
the same battery. 

The body was then lifted from the catafalque, and, to the strains of 
funeral music, it was borne slowly and tenderly into the dark portals 
of its last resting-place. The usual salutes from the shipping in the 
river and the artillery in the park, closed the interment ceremonies. 

Undertaker Merritt closed the doors, locked them, and, putting the 
key in a velvet-covered case, handed it open to Gen. Hancock, who 
gave it to Mayor Grace, the latter in turn delivering it to the Presi- 
dent of the park, Commissioner Crimmins. 

The family carriages were not out of sight when persons attempted 
to deface the tomb by writing their names upon it, and a guard of 
regulars was mounted at once. The military marched, and the dig- 
nitaries rode away, and the long chapter was ended. 

Estimates of the number of persons in the different sections of the 
procession, based partly upon actual count and partly upon statements 
made by company and regimental commanders, yield the following 
results: 

Federal troops'and marines i>49S 

First Division National Guard 4»850 

Second Division National Guard 2,650 

Independent military local bodies .... 915 

Out-of-town military bodies 4,ii2 

Gen. Sickles' veteran division , 18,250 

Civic division, carriages, etc 8,000 

Total 40, 1 70 



LIFK AND SERVICES. 



737 



Gath, the popular correspondent, thus sums up the 
universal verdict: 

" The universal encomium upon this great scene is that such a fune- 
ral has never been seen, at least in this city, if in this land. Old men 
compare it to the great celebration nearly half a century ago at the 
introduction of the Croton water to New York City. Some say that 
the only pageants comparable to it in numbers were the great torch- 
light parades in the last political campaign ; but this funeral was nec- 
essarily restrained in its decorations and methods by the soleinn fact 
of death, and the great wonder is that so many men of age and in- 
firmity should have been drawn from so many portions of the country 
to give their voluntary labor to the almost superfluous rites of deatli. 
As a representative thing Grant's funeral was a wonderful testimonial 
from this continent, and incidentally from our kindred nations, to the 
strength of a devoted, simple biography devoted to great purposes 
and associations, to guarding Liberty and Union, and making forgive- 
ness and mercy national. 

A bird's eye view of to-day's procession, with every point taken up 
and every individual sketched, would be beyond the power of one 
hand. The great length of the procession, its extraordinary time of 
passing, the strangeness of many of the important persons present, 
and the wide distance between the points of departure and of concen- 
tration, leave upon the mind the effect of a battle which is only cor- 
rectly related some time after its details have been assembled from 
different eye witnesses. Suffice it to say that not even the distribution 
of the great armies at the close of the War, which I witnessed in 
Washington, gave such general satisfaction as to-day's funeral. Those 
veterans came in from the field with battered flags and uniforms faded 
and dirty, and their own ranks decimated, and as they marched along 
the loose, disjointed street of Pennsylvania avenue, there was but lit- 
tle except the moral impression of their work, whereas to-day the 
cleanly rank, the thorough taste, the aged and thoroughly-acquitted 
biography, the intermingling of civil deeds and civil government 
with military character, and the thorough restoration of peace which 
the death of Grant seems to have accomplished, conjointly with his 
life and sword, make this spectacle agreeable to every recollection, 
while Nature seems to have smiled upon the scene and given in the 
heat of summer her choicest autumn breath to freshen the garland 
of Grant." 



73^ GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

At the hour when the last sad rites were being shown 
to the dead chieftain's remains in New York, in nearly all 
of the leading cities and towns of the country, bells were 
tolled, cannons fired, memorial services held, and military 
bodies, fire and police departments, civil bodies and orders 
co-operated in making a funeral pageant that testified how 
broad and deep ran the current of love for the man whom 
it was their privilege to honor. 

A notable event long to be remembered was that of a 
memorial service held in Westminster Abbey, London, on 
Aug. 4. The large edifice was crowded with a congre- 
gation nearly every member of which was a distinguished 
person. The order of the service was as follows : 

1. Schubert's " Funeral March." 

2. The funeral procession up the nave of the cathedral to the choir. 

3. The opening of the burial service. 

4. The Ninetieth Psalm. 

5. The day's lesson. 

6. The funeral sermon, by Canon Farrar. 

7. Spohr's anthem, " Blest are the Departed." 

8. Handel's anthem, " His Body is Buried in Peace." 

9. The two concluding prayers of the burial service. 

10. Blessing. 

11. The " Dead March " in " Saul." 

The funeral address, delivered by Canon Farrar, was 
most impressive, and was listened to in almost breathless 
silence. Canon Farrar took his text from the Acts, 
chapter 13, verse 36. He said: 

" Eight years have not passed since the late Dean Stanley, whom 
Americans so loved and honored, was walking around tliis Abbey with 
Gen. Grant, explaining its wealth of great memorials. Neither of 
them had nearly attained the allotted span of human life. Both might 
have hoped that many years would elapse before descending to the 
grave full of years and honors. This is the fourth summer since Dean 
Stanley fell asleep. To-day \vc:i'.:-emble at the obsequies of the great 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



739 



soldier whose sun set while it was yet day, and at whose funeral ser- 
vice in America tens of thousands are assembled at this moment to 
mourn with the weeping family and friends. I desire to speak simply 
and directly, with generous appreciation, but without idle flattery, of 
him whose death has made a nation mourn. His private life, his 
faults or failings of character, whatever they may have been, belong 
in no sense to the world. They are before the judgment of God's 
merciful forgiveness. We will touch only upon his public actions 
and services. Upon a bluff overlooking the Hudson his monument 
will stand recalling to the future generations the dark page in the 
Nation's history which he did so much to close." 

After eloquently tracing Gen. Grant's boyhood and man- 
hood, the speaker said: 

" If the men who knew him in Galena — obscure, silent, unprosper- 
ous, unambitious — had said, if any one had predicted, that he would 
become twice President and one of the foremost men of the day, that 
prophecy would have seemed extravagantly ridiculous. But such 
careers are the glory of the American Continent; they show that the 
people have a sovereign insight into intrinsic force. If Rome told 
with pride that her Dictators came from the plow tail, America mav 
record the answer of the President who, when asked what would be 
his coat of arms, answered, proudly mindful of his early struggles 
" A pair of shirt-sleeves." The answer showed a noble sense of the 
dignity of labor; a noble superiority to the vanities of feudalism; a 
strong conviciion that men should be honored simply as men, not ac- 
cording to the accident of birth." 

"America has had two martyred Presidents, both sons of the people; 
one, a homely man, was a farm lad at the age of 7, a rail-splitter at 
19, a Mississippi boatman at 28, and who in manhood proved 
one of the strongest, most honest, and God-fearing of modern rulers ; 
the other grew from a shoeless child to be an humble teacher in the 
Hiram Institute. With those Presidents America need not blush to 
name the leather-seller of Galena. Every true man derives patent 
nobleness direct from God. Was not the Lord for tliirty years a carpen 
ter in Nazareth? Lincoln's and Garfield'sand Grant's early conscien- 
tious attention to humble duties fitted them to become kings of men. 
The year 1861 saw the outbreak of the most terrible of modern, 
wars. The hour came and the man was needed. Within four years 
Grant commanded an army vaster than had ever before been handled 



tjAO GENERAL U. S. GRANT S 

by man. It was not luck, but the result of inflexible faithfulness, 
indomitable resolution, sleepless energy, iron purpose, persistent tenac- 
ity. He rose by the upward gravitation of natural fitness. The very 
soldiers became impregnated with his spirit. General Grant has been 
grossly and unjustly called a butcher. He loved peace and hated 
bloodshed. But it was his duty at all costs to save the country. The 
struggle was not for victory, but for existence ; not for glory, but for 
life or death. In his silence, determination, and clearness of insight 
Grant resembled Washington and Wellington. In the hottest fury 
of battle his speech never exceeded " Yea, yea," and " Nay, nay." 
God's light has shown for the future destinies of a mighty nation, but 
the war of 1861 was a necessary, a blessed, work. The church has 
never refused to honor the faithful soldier fighting for the cause of 
his country and his God. The .cause for which Grant fought— the 
unity of a whole people, the freedom of a whole race — was as great and 
noble as when at Lexington the embattled farmers fired the shot 
which resounded around the world. The South accepted a bloody 
arbitrament. But the rancor and fury of the past are buried in obliv- 
ion. The names of Lee and Jackson will be a common heritage with 
those of Garfield and Grant. Americans are no longer Northerners 
or Southerners, but Americans. What verdict history will pronounce 
upon Grant as a politician and a man I know not, but here and now, 
the voice of censure, deserved or undeserved, is silent. We leave his 
faults to the mercy of the merciful. Let us write his virtue on brass 
for men's example. Let his faults, whatever they may have been, 
be written on water. Who can tell if his closing hours of torture 
and misery were not blessings in disguise. God purging the gold 
from dross until the strong man was utterly purified by his strong 
agony. Could we be gathered in a more fitting place to honor Gen- 
eral Grant.? There is no lack of American memorials here. We add 
another to-day. Whatever there be between the two nations to for- 
get and forgive is forgotten and forgiven. If the two peoples which 
were one be true to their duty, who can doubt that the destinies of the 
world are in their hands .> Let America and England march in the 
van of freedom and progress, showing the world not only a magnifi- 
cent spectacle of human happiness, but a still more magnificent spec- 
tacle of two peoples united, loving righteousness and hating iniquity, 
inflexibly faithful to the principles of eternal justice, which are the 
unchanging law of God." 



LIKE AND SERVICES. 74! 

The solemnly grand events of this nevcr-to-be-foi";^olten 
reverent mag-nificence to the mortal remains of the ilhis- 
trious Grant, must have an influence upon the youth of our 
land, broader, more enduring, more ennobling than any- 
thing which has transpired during the past decade. To 
witness a Nation in profound mourning above its honored 
dead, is a spectacle almost holy in its grandeur, sublime in 
its devotion, divine in its reverence of the qualities of heart 
and mind and soul that made possible such universal sor- 
row in its loss. Deaths so taken into account are benefits 
to the race of men. They make the world better. They 
fix examples to inspire the youth and content the old — 
for it is in the circumstances of death alone that the glories, 
the triumphs, the supreme values of a great career shine 
forth clear and unclouded, fully perceived and freely ac- 
knowledged. 

The reception of the funeral train at all points illustrates 
how grandly General Grant had lived in the esteem 
of his countrymen. Great men have from time to time 
been distinguished at their death by National honors 
over their remains, but to none was ever accorded 
greater distinction in the reverent grandeur of the 
funeral cortege, than was paid to General Grant's 
memory — -in the reception of his body — and in the last final 
rites at Riverside. The scenes described are thrilling in 
their evidences of popular grief shared by all classes alike, 
the solemnity indicating profound and universal sorrow, and 
the reverence had for the name and fame of the "Old Com- 
mander." Surely if there is no inspiration in this, if there 
is no noble lesson for the future to grow out of this earthly 
crowning of a high career, then men live and achieve in 
vain, temples and shrines are follies, and monuments are 
satires. 



742 



GENERAL U. S. (iUANT S 



The editor of Harpers Weekly thus feelingJy wrote 
of General Grant's sickness: 

"General Grant's wonderful vitality has made a brave 
struggle against death, and the attitude of the public 
during the past week has been one of anxious suspense. 
Alternate exhaustion and revival are characteristics of the 
disease which has so remorselessly worn away that hardy 
life. The crisis of Thursday was such that the end 
seemed inevitably to have come. The silent sufferer him- 
self, for the first time, gave up, and bestowed his farewell 
blessings upon those around him. But the sleep which 
followed was not that of death. A gradual revival took 
place, and before the dawn of Good Friday he was dozing 
in his easy-chair in that condition described .by his physi- 
cians as comfortable. His face never gave much indica- 
tion of his enfeebled condition. He has been able, most 
of the time, to walk about the room with the assistance of 
Harrison, his faithful colored valet, or even alone. His 
most comfortable rest has been obtained in his easy-chair. 
As a natural result of the means employed to keep his 
svstem in action — namely, the hypodermic administration 
of stimulants— the drowsy condition of the patient has in- 
creased from day to day. His mind, however, has always 
remained clear. His silent moments seem often to have 
been devoted to reminiscent thoughts and dreams. 

" General Grant's wife, his sons, Mrs. Sartoris, Dr. 
Newman, and the two physicians, Dr. Douglass and 
Shi-ady, have remained at his side almost constantly, day 
and niglit. Outside the house, a group of reporters on 
duty, and a miscellaneous ciowd, attracted by sympathy or 
by idle curiosity, has also been in regular attendance. 

" Frequent bulletins from the sick-chamber have been 



i-iFH Axn srrvicp:s. 



743 



sent down to these waiting crowds, to be eagerly caught 
up, discussed in grave and subdued tones, and telegraphed 
instantly throughout the city and country." 

The eilitor of the New York Evenmg Mail gives a 
graphic pen picture of the bed-side. The whole world 
was rcallv watching: 

"As with the martyred Garfield at Elberon, so with 
the dying Grant at his home near Central Park, the types 
and electric -vires have put the people at his bedside, and 
he could feel the gentle, but powerful pulsations of 
popular sympathy and affection, like the steady and noise- 
less movements of the resistless tides. Indeed, it is the 
new romance and pathos of our civilization, in these days 
when the electric wires have become a nervous system for 
the world, that whenever men feel that they are about to 
lose a world's hero, a hero for all lands and times, the 
world's consciousness of the situation is made manifest and 
active, and it is not by poetic license but by poetic achieve- 
ments of modern science that the world becomes both wit- 
ness and watcher." 

Ex-Postmaster General Cressvvell pays the following 
touching tribute, in speaking of General Grant's character- 
istics: 

" I had more admiration for General Grant than for any 
man I ever saw, and it grieves me to the soul that he should 
be ending his days in suffering. His qualities of true man- 
liness were more pronounced than those of any man I ever 
knew. In all my close relations with him while I was a 
member of his Cabinet I never heard him say a harsh or 
petty thing; never heard him speak impulsively, or use a 
profane word. 

" Grant's great characteristic was his sublime and un- 



744 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



flinching courage. It was of that kind that no impression 
could be made upon it by opposition. He discharged his 
duties always with unselfishness, never stopping to consider 
how an action would aflfect him personally. All he wanted 
to know was * What is just, what is right?' Grant never 
lost his head. When we came so near being engaged in a 
war with Spain on account of the Virginius affair, there 
was a good deal of excitement at the Cabinet meeting, and 
a war with Spain was imminent. Grant knew what war 
meant, and by his coolness and sound judgment prevented it. 
He was assisted in this by the Spanish representative in 
this country, who was a naval officer. He, too, knew what 
fighting meant, and these two really prevented a war. I 
asked Grant once if, when giving orders for an engage- 
ment, he was not appalled by the great loss of life which 
would ensue. He replied, 'No, it was war, but I realized 
what it meant. I never gave such orders until I was satis- 
fied that it was the best course to pursue, and then I was 
willing to shoulder the responsibility.' 

« General Grant wrote with great facility. His style, 
like his character, was the embodiment of diiectness. He 
used few metaphors and little ornamentation, and never two 
words where one would do, preferring Saxon words to 
Latin or French. He never hesitated for a word and al- 
ways went right to the point. He wrote all his own 
papers, notwithstanding the reports to the contrary, and all 
his messages were framed and written by him. Those who 
thought that Grant couldn't talk made a mistake. When 
he became intimate with any one he would talk as much 
as any companion should. I have heard him do nearly all 
the talking for an hour or two. He was a good talker, but 
slow, sometimes hesitating for a word, something he never 



LIFE ANI> SERVICES. 745 

did in writing. He either has iinpUcit conlidcncc in a man 
or he has none. He was quick to form an estimate of a 
man, and if his suspicions were once aroused his firm jaw 
would shut hke a trap and he would remain cold and silent 
and by his appearance would chill a speaker, no matter 
how earnest he might be. He was always modest and un- 
assuming, never presented himself as a hero of any occasion, 
and never introduced military subjects in conversation. He 
didn't desire to be President a third term for any glory or 
reputation, but his sole object was to reconcile the North 
and the South, and I think he would have done it thor- 
oughly. The solid South would have been a thing of the 
past." 

The following pathetic statement from Hamilton Fish, 
touching the changed appearance and sufferings of Gen- 
eral Grant, will prove interesting. He says, in an interview 
with a reporter of a New York paper: 

" Here is a picture, perliaps tlae best ever taken of him, wiiile he 
was general of the army. His face is full. There are no wrinkles. 
His broad brow and massive jaws are indicated strongly. Now the 
general is sadly emaciated. He reclines, almost without a change, in 
a broad arm-cliair, resting his feet upon a small chair near it. He's 
wra ped up warm in blankets, and every care is taken to avoid a sud- 
den chill. His face is deeply wrinkled — lines either of constant anxi- 
ety or ot pain. The lower part is swollen by the disease, and in con- 
sequence the waste of flesh is not noted so mucli at a full front view 
as when one sees him walking from room to room in his restless way. 
The general never complains. He bears excruciaing pains without a 
murmur. I do not believe tliat his sufferings are incessant. They 
must be spasmodic; but in watching the general one can only notice 
a quiver of the muscles when one of these darts of pain occurs. It is 
impossible to say that his condition is improved. It is, I am 
afraid, too late to talk of any marked improvement. His family as 
well as himself are now waiting for the end which must surely 
come. The physicians are fighting bravely and nobly to defer the 



746 ' GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

death of their patient — not to prevent it. At present the disease is C, 
continually increasing its surface, and it can only be a little time when ' 

one of three thinsrs will occur. The first danger is, of course, from the ^ 
accumulation of mucus in the throat, which would of necessity cause ^lm^ 
suffocation; the second is the progress of the disea se in to the throat 57 17^ 
and the severance of one of the large arteries. OThis wouI3~caiise a 
suffusion of blood and would result in suffocation. A third danger is 
from a failure of the heart through weakness. The physicians think 
death, when it comes, will be very sudden. It will result from one of 
those reasons, and will come without warning. His struggle has been 
a remarkable one, and indicates clearly the iron nature of the man. 
He seems to be restless. Of course he doss not remain on his feet 
for any length of time. He rises from his chair, walks across the 
room aud then returns. He does this simply to change his position 
and so get rest. He dreads to go to bed on account of the rapid accu> 
mulation in his throat." 

We cannot better conclude this subject than by giving 
an extract from an editorial of the New York Tribune^ on 
the anniversary of the battle of Appomattox: 

" Twenty years ago this day occurred the historic scene 
of Appomattox. General Lee's army, reduced to 35,000 
men, had been forced to retreat from Richmond westward, 
and owing to General Meade's energetic pursuit and the 
daring advance of General Sheridan's cavalry upon the 
southern lines of railway communication, it was cut off 
from supplies, constantly harassed, and finally surrounded. 
On the night of April 6, 1S65, General Lee's officers, 
after a consultation around their bivouac fires, desired Gen- 
eral Pendleton to express to him their conviction that the 
prolongation of the struggle would involve a needless sacri- 
fice of life, inasmuch as a surrender was inevitable. On the 
next morning General Grant formally proposed negoti- 
ations for a capitulation, and receiving on the following 
day a favorable reply, immediately offered to accept a sur- 



I.IKE A.NU SERVICES. 747 

render on the single condition that the officers and men 
laying down their arms should be disqualified for taking 
up arms against the Government of the United States 
until properly exchanged as prisoners of w^ar. So generous 
were these terms that General Lee, while denying that the 
supreme emergency had yet arisen, consented to appoint a 
meeting for the next morning between the picket lines of 
the two armies, at which the general situation might be 
discussed. This appointment was not kept, General Grant 
replying that he had no authority to treat on the subject of 
peace. Later in the day, April 9, General Lee asked for an 
immediate meeting; the two commanders had a brief con- 
sultation; and the terms of surrender were adjusted with- 
out difficulty. This was Appomattox. 

" The heroic soldier, whose fame was crowned by that 
great achievement twenty years ago, has been fighting for 
many weeks as hopeless a battle as that in which General 
Lee's dispirited and famished but not demoralized followers 
were then engaged. Racked by the torments of merciless 
disease, he has endured the hardness like a brave soldier, 
bearing his suflTerings with cheerfulness and resignation, and 
displaying the same resolute courage and invincible will 
which were his distinguishing characteristicsduring his cam- 
pai'^ns. His sick room has witnessed triumphs of self-con- 
quest, self- repression and quiet endurance worthy of the hero 
of Appomattox. The same generosity and thoughtfulness 
for others, which shaped his negotiations with General Lee, 
have been evinced in the weary veteran's daily greetings 
and messages to his friends and in the gentle courtesies 
bestowed upon all who enter the sick room. There has 
been no sign of impatience; no sound of murmuring. On 
the eve of Appomattox the old soldier sighs A)r peace, but 
is brave and resolute still." 



APPENDICES. 

A 



The following congratulatory order of General Grant was issued 
just after the repulse of the Confederates in their attempt to recover 
Corinth, Miss., a description of which will be found on page 66. 

General Orders No. 88. 

Headquarters Department of West Tennessee, ) 
Jackson, Tenn., October 7, 1S62. ' C 

It is with heartfelt gratitude the General commanding congratu- 
lates the armies of the West for another great victory won by them 
on the 3d, 4th and 5th inst, over the combined armies of Van Dorn, 
Price and Lovell. 

The enemy chose his own time and place of attack, and know- 
ing the troops of the West as he does, and with great facilities for 
knowing their numbers, never would have made the attempt, except 
with a superior force numerically. But for the midaunted braveiy of 
officers and soldiers -who have yet to learn defeat^ the efforts of the 
enemy must have proved successful. 

Whilst one division of the army, under Major-General Rosecrans, 
was resisting and repelling the onslaught of the rebel hosts at Cor- 
inth, another, from Bolivar, under Major-General Hurlbut, was 
marching upon the enemy's rear, driving in their pickets and cav- 
alry, and attracting the attention of a large force of infantry- and 
artillery. On the following day, under Major-General Ord, these 
forces advanced with unsurpassed gallantry, driving the enemy back 
across the liatchie, over ground where it is almost incredible that a 
superior force should be driven by an inferior, capturing two of the 
batteries (eight guns), many hundred small arms, and several hundred 
prisoners. 

To those two divisions of tlie army all praise is due, and will be 
awarded by a grateful country. 

748 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 'J^^Cf 

Between them there should be, and I trust are, the warmest bonds 
of brotherhood. Each was risking life in the same cause, and, on 
this occasion, risking it also to save and assist the other. No troops 
could do moi e than these separate armies. Each did all possible for 
it to do in the places assigned it. 

As in all great battles, so in this, it becomes our fate to mourn 
the loss of many brave and faithful officers and soldiers, who liave 
given up their lives as a sacrifice for a great principle. The nation 
mourns for them. 

By command of Major-General U. iS. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A. G. 

B 

General Grant, having received repeated complaints from fanners 
in the vicinity of his headquai ters, of the conduct of the Confed- 
erate forces while passing through their country, to prevent his troops 
from falling into the like disgraceful system of plunder, he issued the 
following order: 

Headquarters Department of the Tennessee, | 
Lagrange, Tenn., November 9, 1S62. \ 

[Special Field Orders No. 2.] 

Hereinafter stoppage will be made on muster and pay rolls 
against divisions for the full amount of depredations committed by 
any member or members of the division, unless the act can be traced 
either to the individuals coinmitting them, or to the company, regi- 
ment, or brigade to which the offenders belong. 

In all cases the punishment will be assessed to the smallest 
organization containing the guilty parties. 

Confiscation acts zvere never intended to be executed by soldiers; and 
if they were, the general government should have full benefit of all 
property of which individuals are deprived. A stoppage of pay 
against offenders will eftect this end, and, it is to be hoped, will cor- 
rect this growing evil 

It is not only the duty of commissioned officers to correct this evil, 
but of all good men in the ranks to report every violation; and it is 
determined now that they shall have a pecuniary interest in doing sa 

Assessments will also be made against commissioned officers, in 
the proportion of their pay proper. 



75© GKN'KKAL U. S. GKANT's 

Where offences of the nature contemplated in this order are traced 
to individuals, they will be summarily punished to the full extent 
formerly given to garrison court-martials, or be arrested and tried by 
a general court-martial, according to the enormity of the oftence, and 
the severest penalties provided imposed and executed. 

This order will be read on parade, before each regiment and 
detachment, for three successive evenings. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

c 

The Treasury Department having laid down certain rules for the 
guidance of those engaged in trade in the insurrectionary States after 
they had come within the Union lines, to prevent such traffic becom- 
ing a source of aid and comfort to the enemy, yet, notwithstanding 
these stringent orders, the Jewish camp followers were found to be 
continually engaged in illegal traffic, whereupon General Grant 
expelled them all from his department, issuing the following order : 

Headquarters Department of the Tennessee, } 
Oxford, Miss., December 17, 1862. ) 

\^GcHeraI Orders No. //.] 

The Jews, as a class, violating every regulation of trade estab- 
lished by the Treasury Department, also department orders, are 
hereby expelled from the department within twenty-four hours from 
the receipt of this order by post commanders. They will see that all 
this class of people are furnished with passes and required to leave ; 
and any one returning after such notification will be arrested and held 
in confinement until an opportunity occurs of sending them out as 
prisoners, unless furnished with permits from these head-quarters. 
No passes will be given these people to visit headquarters for the 
purpose of making personal application for trade permits. 

By order of Major-General Grant. 

D 

On the 20th of December, 1862 (as stated on page 67), Holly 
Springs, Miss., was disgraceful ly surrendered. The commanding 
general expressed his displeasure in the following condemnatory order : 



LIFE AND SEK VICES. 751 

Headquarters Thirteenth Army Corps, \ 

Department of the Tennessee, >■ 

Holly Springs, Miss., December 24, 1862, j 

[Special Field Ordets No. 2j.] {Extract.) 

It is -witli pain and mortification that the. General Commanding 
refiect.<; upon the disgraceful surrender of the place, with all the valuable 
stores it contained, on the 20th inst., and that tvithout any resistance 
except by a few men, who form an honorable exception; and this, 
too, after warning had been given of tlie enemy nortliward, the even- 
ing previous. Witii all the cotton, public stores, and substantial 
buildings about the depot, it -would have been perfectly practicable to 
have made, in a fezv hours, a defence sufficient to resist, wi k a small 
garrison,all the cavalry force brought against them until the re-inforce- 
ments which the commanding officers was notified were marching to 
his relief could have reached him. 

The conduct of officers and men in accepting paroles, under the 
circumstances, is highly reprehensible, and, to say the least, thought- 
less. By the terms of the Dix-Hill cartel each party is bound to take 
care of their prisoners, and to send them to Vicksburg, or a point on 
the James River, for exchange, or parole, unless some other point 
is mutually agreea upon oy the generals commanding the opposing 
armies. 

By a refusal to be paroled, the enemy, from his inability to take care 
of the prisoners, xvould have been compelled either to have refused them 
unconditionally, or to have abandoned further aggressive movements 
for the time being, -vhich xvould have made their recapture, and the dis- 
comfiture of the enemy almost certain . 

The prisoners paroled at this place will be collected in camp at 
once by the post commander, and held under close guard until their 
case can be reported to Washington for further instructions. 

Commanders throughout the department are directed to arrest and 
hold as above all men of their commands and all stragglers who may 
ha-T'e accepted their paroles upon like terms. 

The General Commanding is satisfied that the majority of the 
troops who accepted a parole did so thoughtlessly, and from want of 
knowledge of the cartel referred to, and that in future they will not 
be caught in the same way. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant, 

John A. Rawlins, A. A. G. 



753 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



On June 2, 1S65, General Grant took leave of all the armies 
under his command, in the following farewell address. In it he tells 
in glowing words of the great services which, with him, they had 
performed for the country. 

" Soldiers of the Armies of the United States, — By your 
patriotic devotion to your country in the hour of danger and alarm, 
your magnificent fighting, bravery, and endurance, you have main- 
tained the supremacy of the Union and the Constitution ; overthrown 
all armed opposition to the enforcement of the laws, and of the procla- 
mations forever abolishing slavery, — the cause and pretext of the Re- 
bellion; and opened the way to the rightful authorities to restore 
order and inaugurate peace, on a permanent and enduring basis, on 
every foot of American soil. 

" Your marches, sieges, and battles, in distance, duration, resolu 
tion, and brilliancy of results, dim the luster of the world's past mili- 
tary achievements, and will be the patriot's precedent in defence of 
liberty and right in all time to come. In obedience to your country's 
call, you left your homes and families, and volunteered in its defence. 
Victory has crowned your valor, and secured the purpose of your 
patriotic hearts. And with the gratitude of your countrymen, and 
the highest honors a great and free nation can accord, you will soon 
be permitted to return to your homes and your families, conscious of 
having discharged the highest duty of American citizens. 

"To achieve these glorious triumphs, and secure to yourselves, 
your fellow-countrymen, and posterity the blessings of free institu- 
tions, tens of thousands of your gallant comrades have fallen, and 
sealed the priceless legacy with their lives. The graves of these a 
grateful nation bedews with tears, honors their memories, and will 
ever chcrisli and support their stricken families." 



General Grant's formal acceptance of the nomination for the 
Presidency in 186S was made in the following letter: 

Washington, D. C, May 29, 1868. 
ToGen. Joseph R. IIawlev, President of the National Union Re- 
pnblican Convention, — 



LIFE AND SERVICES 753 

In formally receiving the nomination of the National Union Re- 
publican Convention of the 21st ot^ May instant, it seems proper that 
some statement of my views, beyond the mere acceptance of the 
noinination, should be expressed. The proceedings of tlie Conven- 
tion were marked with wisdoir, moderation, and patriotism, and, I 
believe, express the feelings of tiie great mass of those who sustained 
the country through its recent trials. I indorse their resolutions. If 
elected to the office of President of the United States, it will be my 
endeavor to administer all the laws in good faith, with economy, and 
with the view of giving peace, quiet, and protection everywhere. In 
times like the present, it is impossible, or at least eminently improper, 
to lay down a policy to be adhered to, right or wrong, through an ad- 
ministration of four years. New political issues, not foreseen, are 
constantly arising; the viev/s of the public on old ones are constantly 
changing; and a purelv administrative officer should always be left 
free to execute the will of the people. I always have respected that 
will, and always shall. Peace, and universal prosperity, its sequence, 
with economy of administration, will lighten the burden of taxation, 
while it constantly reduces the national debt. Let us have peace. 
With great respect, 

Your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant. 

General Hawley, as late as April, 1S85, said: " The most precious 
autograph in my collection is the letter of acceptance which was ad- 
dressed to me as president of the convention, and in which occurs the 
famous expression, ' Let us have peace.' It is all in his own hand, 
•was his first draft, and contains only one correction — the change of a 
word at the suggestion of Mr. Colfax." 



The following is the celebrated speech of Senator Roscoe Conk- 
ling, delivered before the Republican National Convention of iSSo, 
at the Exposition Building, Chicago, in nominating General Ulysses 
S. Grant for a third term; more particularly noticed in Chapter 
XXXIX. On the call of the State of New York, Mr. Conkling, of 
New York, arose, and was greeted with tumultuous applause, which 
continued several moments ; as soon as quiet was restored, he said : 



754 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 



"'And when asked what State he hails from, 
Our sole reply shall be, 
He hails from Appomattox, 
And its famous apple tree.' 

" In obedience to instructions which I should never dare to disre- 
gard, expressing also my own firm convictions, I rise, Mr. President, 
in behalf of the State of New York, to propose a nomination with 
which the coimtrj' and the Republican party can grandly win. The 
election before us is the Austerlitz of American politics. It will de- 
cide, for many years, whether the country shall be Republican or 
Cossack. The supreme need of the hour is not a candidate who can 
carry Michigan. All Republican candidates can do that. The need 
is not of a candidate popu'ar in the Territories, because the Terri- 
tories have no vote. The need is of a candidate who can carrjf doubt- 
ful States. Not the doubtful States of the North alone, but also doubt- 
ful States of the South, which we have heard, if I understand aright, 
ought to take little or no part here, because the South has nothing to 
give, but everything to receive. The need which urges itself on the 
conscience and reason of the convention is of a candidate who can 
carry doubtful States, both North and South. And believing that he, 
more surely than any other man, can carry New York against any 
opponent, and can carry not only the North, but several States of the 
South, New York is for Ulysses S. Grant. 

" Never defeated — in peace or in war — his name is the most illus- 
trious borne by living man. 

"His services attest his greatness, and the country — nay, the 
world — know them by heart. His fame was earned not alone by 
things written and said, but by the arduous greatness of things done; 
and perils and emergencies will search in vain in the future, as they 
have searched in v.iin in the past, for any other on whom the nation 
leans with such confidence and trust. Never having had a policy to 
enforce against the will of the people, he never betrayed a cause or a 
friend, and the people will never desert or betray him. Standing on 
the highest eminence of human distinction, modest, firm, simple and 
self-poised, having filled all lands with his renown, he has seen not 
only the high-born and the titled, but the poor and the lowly, in the 
uttermost ends of the earth, rise and uncover before him. He has 
studied the needs and the defects of many systems of government; 
and he has returned a better American than ever, with a wealth of 



LIFK AND SERVICES. 



/■>:> 



knowledge and experience added to the hard common fsense w liich 
shone so conspicuously in all the fierce light that heat upon him dur- 
ing sixteen years, the most trying, the most portentous, the most per- 
ilous in the nation's history. 

" Villified and reviled, ruthlessly aspersed by unnumbered presses, 
not in other lands, but in his own, assaults upon liim have seasoned 
and strengthened his hold on the public heart. Calumny's ammuni- 
tion has all been exploded ; the powder has all been burned once — its 
force is spent — and the name of Grant will glitter a bright and imper- - 
ishable star in the diadem of the republic when those who have tried to 
tarnish it have moldered in forgotten graves; and when their memo- 
ries and their epitaphs have vanished utterly. 

" Never elated by success, never depressed by adversity, he has 
ever, in peace as in war, shown the very genius of common sense. 
The terms he presented for Lee's surrender foreshadowed the wisest 
prophecies and principles of true reconstruction. Victor in the great- 
est war of modern times, he quickly signalized his aversion to war 
and his love of peace by an arbitration of international disputes which 
stands the wisest, the most majestic example of its kind in the world's 
diplomacy. 

" When inflation, at the height of its popularity and frenzy, had 
swept both Houses of Congress, it was the veto of Grant, single and 
alone, which overthrew expansion, and cleared the way for specie re- 
sumption. To him, immeasurably more than to any other man, is 
due the fact that every paper dollar is at last as good as gold. 

" With him as our leader, we shall have no defensive campaign. 
We shall have nothing to explain away. We shall have no apologies 
to make. The shafts and arrows have all been aimed at him, and they 
lie broken and harmless at his feet. 

" Life, liberty and property will find a safeguard in him. When 
he said of the colored men in Florida, ' Wherever I am, they may 
come also,' he meant that, had he the power, the poor dwellers in the 
cabins of the South should no longer be driven in terror from the 
homes of their childhood and the graves of their murdered dead. 
When he refused to receive Dennis Kearney in California, he meant 
that communism, lawlessness and disorder, although it might stalk 
high-headed and dictate law to a whole city, w-ould always find a foe 
in him. He meant that, popular or unpopular, he would hew to the 
line of right, let the chips fly where they may. 



756 GENEKAl. U. S. GRANT's 

" His integrity, his common hense, his courage, his unequaled ex- 
perience, are the qualities offered to his country. The only argument 
— the only one — that the wit of man or the stress of politics has de- 
vised is one which would dumbfounded Solomon, because Solomon 
thought there was nothing new under the sun. Having tried Grant 
twice and found him faithful, we are told that we must not, even after 
an interval of years, trust him again. My countrymen! my country- 
men! what stultification does such a fallacy involve. The American 
people exclude Jefferson Davis from public trust. Why.' Because 
he was the arch-traitor and would-be destroyer. And now the same 
people is asked to ostracise Grant, and not to trust him. Why.' 
Why.' I repeat. Because he was the arch-preserver of his country, 
and because, not only in war, but twice as Civil Magistrate, he gave 
his highest, noblest efforts to the republic. Is this an electioneering 
juggle, or is it hypocrisy's masquerade ? There is no field of human 
activity, responsibi ity or reason in which rational beings object to an 
agent because he has been weighed in the balance and not found 
wanting. Tiiere is, I say, no department of human reason in which 
sane men reject an agent because he has had experience, making him 
exceptionally competent and fit. From the man who shoes your 
horse to the lawyer who tries your cause, the officer who manages 
your railway or your mill, the doctor into whose hands yovi give your 
life, or the minister wh > seeks to save your soul — what man do you 
reject because by his works you have known him, and found him 
faithful and lit.' 

"What makes the presidential office an exception to all things 

I else in the common sense to be applied to selecting its incumbent? 

' Who dares to put fetters on that free choice and judgment which is 
the birthright of the American people? \ Can it be said that Grant 
has used official power and place to perpetuate his term.' He has 
no place, and official power has not been used for him. Without pa- 
tronage, without emissaries, without committees, without bureaux, 
without telegraph wires running from his house or from the seats of 
influence to this convention, without appliances, without electioneer- 
ing contrivances, without eftbrt on his part. Grant's name is on his 
country's lips. He is struck at by the whole Democratic party 
because his nomination is the death-blow of Democratic success. 
He is struck at by others, who find an offense and disqualification in 
the very services he has rendered, and the very experience he has 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 



75/ 



gained. Show me a better man. Name one and I am answered. 
But do not point as a disqualification to the verv experience whicl\ 
makes this man fit beyond all others. 

"There is no 'third term' in the case, and the pretense will die 
with the political dog-days that gendered it. One week after the, 
Democratic convention we shall have heard the last of this rubbish 
about a 'third term.' Nobody now is really disquieted about a 
third term except those hopelessly longing for a first term, and their 
dupes and coadjutors. Without effort or intrigue on his part, he is 
ihe candidate whose friends have never threatened to bolt, unless 
this convention did as they said. He is a Republican who never 
wavers. He and his friends stand by the creed and the candidates of 
the Republican party. They hold the rightful rule of the majority 
as the very essence of their faith, and they mean to uphold that 
faith against not only the common enemy, but against the charlatans, 
jayhawkers, tramps and guerillas who deploy between the lines, and 
forage, now on one side and then on the other. This convention is 
master of a supreme opportunity. It cau name the next president 
of the United States. It can make sure of his election ; it can 
make sure not only of his election, but of his certain and peaceful 
inauguration. 

" It can assure a Republican majority in the Senate and the House 
of Representatives. More than all, it can break that power which 
dominates and mildews the South. It tan overthrow an organization 
whose very existence is a standing protest against progress. 

*' The purpose of the Democratic party is spoils. Its very hope 
and existence is a solid South. Its success is a menace to order and 
prosperity. This convention can overthrow and disintegrate these 
hurtful forces. It can dissolve and emancipate a distracted ' solid 
South.' It can speed the nation in a career of grandeur eclipsing all 
past achievements. 

*' Gentlemen, we have only to listen above the din and look beyond 
the dust of an hour, to behold the Republican party advancing, with 
its ensigns resplendent with illustrious achievement, marching to 
certain and lasting victory, with its greatest marshal at its head." 

H 

The following is General Grant's painful story of his deception 



'75S c;kx?:kal u. s. (iRAxr's 

by Ward, and the methods that brought financial disaster to those 
who were associated with the rascally banker. The testimony as 
given is from a private dispatch to the Philadelphia Press, of March 
28, 1S85: 

" New York, March 27. — The testimony of General Grant, taken 
in his house yesterday by James H. Fish, the official stenographer of 
the court in which the trial of ex-President Fish, of the Marine 
Bank, is proceeding, was read to-day in court. 

" In answer to questions by Mr. Clark, General Grant said that 
he supposed he was a member of the firm of Grant & Ward, as the 
books showed him such, though up to the time of the failure he sup- 
posed that he was simply a special partner. His connection dated 
from about November i, 1880. He then paid in $50,000 and shortly 
after $50,000 more, though he did not recall the date. That was all 
he had paid in. 

" NO SUSPICION OF RASCALITY. 

"On the 4th of May, 1S84, General Grant supposed he was 
worth ' well on to a million.' He could not recall whether he knew 
James D. Fish before the copartnership or not. ' I had no suspicion 
of any rascality, and, therefore, there was nothing to confine my 
mind to any such dates.' 

«' When asked through whose introduction he became acquainted 
with Fish, General Grant said: 

"'I suppose it was by my son and Mr. Ward. I suppose if you 
should go clear back that it was my son who got acquainted with 
Mr. Ferdinand Ward through Mr. Ward's brother, and that the 
acquaintance was led on to in that way. The man was supposed, so 
far as I ever knew, to be a reputable banker until after the fail- 
ure, and it was not astonishing that a person should make his 
acquaintance.' 

" General Grant said he had a dim recollection of receiving a 
letter from Fish while living at Long Branch. It might have been 
the letter of July 6, 1883. He did not know where the letter was. 
' I suppose,' said he, ' Mr. Ward took very good pains that I should 
not have it. I don't suppose that I ever saw the one that was 
published.* 

"The General recalled answering tlie letter, and saying that he 
believed the matter the firm was engaged in was all right, or some- 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 7:^9 

thing like that. He had no recollection as to what became of the 
letter, and did not believe it was the one published. He had searched 
in vain foi- the letter. 

" LETTERS IN HIS SIDE POCKET. 

" ' I have never been in the habit of preserving private letters, and 
if I was to try I suppose 1 should make a poor record. My business 
in life has been such that somebody else has always taken care of 
letters that had to be saved, and the only way that I have now of 
preserving a letter that I wish to preserve until I do something with 
it is to put it in my side coat pocket, or put it in the drawer where I 
write, and then when I want to look for c>.letter it is about the last 
one I find.' 

" The deponent identified a letter shown him as being in his own 
hand-writing. It was dated July 6, 1SS2, and addressed to Mr. Fish. 
It referred to a letter received from Mr. Fish the day before, but 
General Grant did not recall whether or not the letter referred to had 
been shown to him by Ferdinand Ward. Mr. Ward transacted all 
the business, and General Grant supposed that Ward brought the 
other letter to him, got the answer, and delivered it to Mr. Fish. 

"General Grant volunteered the information that at the time he 
went into the firm he had a very small income, saved for him by his 
son during his trip around the world. His son proposed to let him 
have a half interest in the firm, so that the General should have an 
incoine to live upon. Afterward an income was raised for him, and 
the firm generously, as he then thought, concluded to let him in as 
a half partner, and, later, as a whole partner, special, not general. 

" In answer to a question of Mr. Root, counsel for the govern- 
ment, as to the time at which he was accustomed to reach his office 
when staying at Long Branch in the summer of 18S2, General Grant 
said he had forgotten the exact time of leaving Long Branch in the 
morning, but he usually reached the office about 10 a. m. 

" SUSPICIONS OF GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS. 

" The deponent recalled no reference to government contracts in 
Mr. Fish's letter, to which the letter just identified was an answer. ' I 
had told Mr. Ward, when it was mentioned, that there must never be 
any government contracts there. There is nothing wrong in being 



760 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

engaged in government contracts more than in anything else unless 
made wrong by the acts of the individual, but I had been Pre>ident of 
the United States, and I did not think it was suitable for me to have 
my name connected with government contracts, and I knew that there 
was no large profit in them, except by dishonest measures. There 
are some men who got government contracts year in and year out, 
and whether they managed their affairs dishonestly or not, to inake a 
profit, they are sometimes supposed to, and I did not think it was any 
place for me.' 

" In answer to a further question. General Grant said that, had lie 
found any reference to government contracts in the letter, he would 
have stopped, but, as a matter of fact, he might never have seen that 
letter, as Ward might simply have given him a statement of its 
contents." 

"ward's methods. 

" The deponent knew Ward to be a director of the Marine Bank, 
and to be there a great deal, but suspected nothing wrong. He knew 
of but one government contract in which Ward professed to be in- 
terested, and in that case, Ward said that he had just bought 350,000 
bushels of oats, and that there was a further large quantity to be pur- 
chased, all for delivery to a third party, who had the contract. Gen- 
eral Grant saw nothing wrong in this, as the firm had not taken the 
Government contract. Afterward he began to fear. It was near the 
failure, and there were whispers that Grant & Ward had Government 
contracts. He questioned Ward, and the latter said that he was not 
going to do anything that would injure the General, or anything that 
the General requested him not to do. He denied that he had contracts 
anywhere. He intimated that his acquaintance with city officers en- 
abled him to get municipal contracts, and General Grant told him 
he saw no great difference between city and government contracts. 
Ward then said that he never had a contract with either the City 
of New York, or the Government of the United States. 

" Ward illustrated the nature of liis contracts, by citing the case of 
a man having a contract for a section of railroad connecting Pitts- 
burg with the Reading system. The contractor, being unable to ob- 
tain horses, supplies, and the like, came to Grant & Ward for money 
with which to prosecute this contract. When General Grant had 
objected to such a transaction as unsafe, Ward had replied that the 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 7^' 

firm kept the contract in its possession, and the money was all paid 
into the firm's ofiice. General Grant supposed Ward was more of a 
business man than he, and accepted tlie explanation. 

"Mr. Fish had never questioned him about government contracts, 
and General Grant would have repudiated them, had he done so. 
Fish did not consult with him about Grant & Ward's affairs after 
July 5, 1SS2. Sometime in the winter of 18S3, General Grant, Mr. 
Fish, Colonel Grant, Mi. Ward, James R. Smith, Major Edson, City 
Comptrollor J. Nelson Tappan, and Treasurer Spencer, of the rail- 
road, were four days together in a special car, in Western Pennsyl- 
vania, 'but Mr. Fish did not speak of business, though they spoke of 
Ward, and agreed that he was a man of great energy and ability. 
Fish said, that he liad never in his life befoie got anything so good. 

" HE LOST PROFITS AND ALL. 

" When asked whetlier he had drawn from the firm the profits he 
was led to suppose had been made. General Grant said : ' No, I did 
not. I left them with the concern, and everything that I had beside, 
and I haven't got it out. I had some little items, bnt I don't know 
what amount, that were purchased, some of them for me, with the 
money of the firm that were profits of tlie firm; they never were 
pui chased, but then they were supposed to be, and I was charged 
with the purchase of them.' 

"He drew from the firm at the rate of $2,000 jier month in 1S83, 
and $3,000 per month in the early part of 1SS4, up to the failure. 
That was the limit of his dratts. 

"'Everything that I had in the world went,' said General Grant. 
'Ward came up here on Sunday night before the failure, and asked 
me to go down with him to see Mr. Newcomb, to see if he couldn't 
get $150,000 from him; that he had himself raised $230,000, and if 
he could Taise $150,000 more, it would carry the Marine Bank 
through; that we had $660,000 in the Marine Bank, besides $1,300,- 
000 of securities in our vaults; that we should be inconvenienced 
very much if we couldn't carr}' the bank through, and he said that the 
Marine Bank was all sound and solid, if it had time to collect in, or 
draw in a little of its time loans, and I went down there with him, 
and Mr. Newcomb was not at home, and he asked me if I knew Wm. 
H. Vanderbilt well enough to ask him, and 1, after some little hesita- 
tion, said I did, and Mr. Vanderbilt loaned it to me without hesitation 



y63 GENERAL U. S. GRANT's 

at all. He said at the time he gave it to me, that he was lending this 
to me, and that he had no recollection of ever having done such a 
thing before, but that he would do it for me. Well, that has taken all 
the remaining property that I had.' 

" Ward said nothing of the firm's indebtedness to the bank. He 
said the firm had seven hundred and odd thousand in the bank, and so 
the books of Grant & Ward showed. Mr. Fish had expressed lys 
distrust of Ward in the spring of 1884. General Grant was sorry to 
say that he had not the slightest distrust of Ward the night before the 
failure, and his son, U. S. Grant, Jr., after the failure, said that Ward 
would come out all right. He had such friendship for Ward's brother 
William, that he did not believe Ferdinand could do a dishonest act. 
It took the General a day or two to realize that Ward had acted so 
He had never heard of Mr. Fish's apprehension that Ward had run 
away a week before the failure. He understood from Ward, the Sun- 
day before the failure, that the firm had $750,000 in cash in the bank. 
Ward was in the habit of making statements as to their business, but 
General Grant could recall no recent statements, except that Ward 
would show certain calculations, and name the profits figured up. 
General Grant looked at them later, and his recollection was that they 
showed the nature of the profits. He had none of those statements 
in his possession. He never read one of thein until after the failure. 
They showed from month to month the profits of the firm. 

" Ex-President Fish, of the Marine Bank, was examined prior to 
the reading of General Grant's deposition, and he explained his rela- 
tions with Ward, in their earlier transactions. Several letters from 
Ward to Fish were read, in one of which. Ward spoke of expected 
advantages of his acquaintance with Grant, and apparently depre- 
cated some expression of distrust by Mr. Fish. 

I 

It having been repeatedly stated that the Trust fund raised by the 
admirers of General Grant, as mentioned in Chapter XXXIX, was 
unsafe, and that the General or his heirs would not long receive an 
income from it, the following letter from Mr. Henry Day to the 
editor of the Nezv Tork Tribune will no doubt set at rest the fears of 
all such, as Mr. Day imdoubtedly believes it to be perfectly safe, and 
that it will suffer no loss. 



LIFE AM> SKKVICKS. 763 

To the Editor of The Tribune: 

Sir: — Your editorial remarks of tlie \2\\\ inst. on my statements 
as an executor of Governor Morgan in regard to the Grant fund may 
give a wrong impression ot" the views and intentions of tlie trustees 
in respect to tlie guarantee of the fund by Governor Morgan. I 
Stat d in tlie interview the only possible contingency which could in 
any manner affect the complete guarantee of the principal and inter- 
est on the fund. It would not be proper for the trustees under Gov- 
ernor Morgan's will to state publicly what course they would pursue 
in a futiwe contingency which might arise affecting the interests of a 
large number of persons, residuary legatees under the will. The 
rights of such legatees must be determined by law, and not bj' opin- 
ions or wishes of the trustees. But it is proper to repel the insinua- 
tions of your article, if any such were intended, that the executors 
might possibly resort to a "legal quibble" for the purpose of "escap- 
ing a liability which their testator has imposed upon them." The 
Tribniie has no right to suggest such a possibility after the statement 
I made to your reporter that I conside. ed the guarantee a perfectly 
legal obligation, that "even if any flaw could be found in the guaran- 
tee from a legal point of view under no circumstances would the exec- 
utors repudiate Governor Morgan's written promise, which he him- 
self regarded as a sacred obligation," and that they had asked and 
obtained the "order of the Surrogate that they should hold the 
residuary estate subject to this lien of the Grant fund." 

Could the executors do or say more to allay all fears in regard to 
the safety of the fund.-* You say in your editorial : " Would it not 
be gratifying to him (General Grant) and the nation which watches 
his death-struggls with sincere sorrow to have the assurance that the 
money which the people contributed as an honorable competence for 
him and his family is beyond all danger from the fluctuations in the 
stock market.' " 

If it can be any comfort to General Grant in these last hours of 
his life, or any gratification to his family in this impending sorrow, or 
to the nation which watches with solicitude the last battle of their 
great hero, if the executors can add to the assurances above given, I 
will say in the name of the executors of Governor Morgan, that all 
they can do to carry out the guarantee of Governor Morgan in its 
broadest and most equitable construction and to the fullest extent of 
their powers, and in the same spirit and to the same effect as Governor 



764 GENERAL U. S. GKANT'S 

Morgan himself would have done if alive, will he done by them; and, 
furthermore, that as a matter of opinion the executors believe that the 
fund is perfectly safe, and that under no contingency can it suffer loss 
and that it is, as it ought to be, one of the best secured trust funds in 
the United States. Henry Day. 

Neiv Tork, April 22, 18S5. 

J 

The removing of the relics, medals, swords and tokens of honor, 
belonging to General Grant, from his residence was made on June 
II, 1SS5, when they were surrendered to Colonel R. N. Batchelder 
of the War Department. It will be remembered that these relics 
were offered to and accepted by Wm. H. Vanderbilt in payment of 
his loan of $150,000 to General Grant, and given by him to Mrs. 
Grant in trust, to be turned over to the Governinent at some future 
time. This pathetic list of memorials was prepared by Colonel Fred 
D. Grant, and was as follows: 

Mexican onyx cabinet, presented to General Grant by the people 
of Pueblo, Mexico. 

Aerolite, part of which passed over Mexico in 1871. 

Bronze vases presented to General Grant by the people of Yoko- 
hama, Japan. 

Marble bust on pedestal, presented by working men of Phila- 
delphia. 

Large elephant tusks, presented by the King of Siam. 

Small elephant tusks, presented by the Maharajah of Joharie. 

Picture of General Scott, by Page, presented by gentlemen of New 
York. 

Crackleware bowls (very old) presented by Prince Kaon of 
China. 

Cloisonne jars (old), presented by Li-Hung-Chang of China. 

Chinese porcelain jars (old), presented by Prince Kaon of China. 

Arabian Bible. 

Coptic Bible, presented by Lord Napier, who captured it from 
King Theodore of Abyssinia. 

Sporting rifle. 

Sword of Donelson, presented to General Grant after the fail of 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 765 

Fort Donelson bj officers of the army and used by Iiini to the end of 
the war. 

New York sword, voted to General Grant at a New York fair. 

Roman mug and pitcher. 

Silver menu and card, farewell dinner of San Francisco, Cal. 

Silver menu of Paris dinner. 

Horn and silver snuff-box. 

Silver match-box used by General Grant. 

Gold table, modeled after the table in Mr. McLean's house, on 
which General R. E. Lee signed tiie articles of surrender, and pre- 
sented to General Grant by ex-Confederate soldiers. 

Gold cigar cases from the celestial and second Kings of Siam. 

Gold-handled knife, presented by the miners of Idaho Territory. 

Silver trowel, used by General Grant in laying the corner-stone of 
the Museum of Natural History, New York. 

Knife made at Sheffield for General Grant. 

General Grant's gold pen. 

Embroidered picture (cock and hen), presented by citizens of 
Japan. 

Field-glasses used by General Grant during the war. 

Iron-headed cane made from tlie Rebel ram Merrimac. 

Silver-headed cane fiom wood used in defense of Fort Sumter. 

Gold-headed cane made out of wood from old Fort Duquesne, 
Pennsylvania. 

Gold-headed cane presented in token of General Grant's humanitv 
during the war. 

Gold-headed cane used by Lafayette and presented by the ladies ol 
Baltimore. 

Carved wood cane from estate of Sir Walter Scott. 

Uniform as General of the United States army. 

Fifteen buttons cut from coats during the war by Mrs. Grant afler 
various battles. 

Hat ornaments used at Belmont and Fort Donelson. 

Shoulder straps (Brigadier-General), worn by General Grant at 
Belmont, Fort Donelson, and Shiloh, and straps of Lieutenant-General, 
cnt from the coat used by General Grant in the campaigns against 
Richmond, Petersburg, and Lee's army. 

I Medal (gold) from the Anierican Congress for opening the Mis- 
sissippi. 



766 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

V Gold medal from Philadelphia. 

Forty-five medals in gold, silver, and bronze. 

Silk papers printed for General Grant. 

Collection of coins, Japanese. This is the only complete set, 
except one in the Japanese Treasury. Seven of these prices cost 
$5,000. Presented by the government of Japan. 
. Warrant as cadet at West Point and army commissions from 
Brevet Second Lieutenant to that of General of the Uniied States 
army. 

Papers and mementoes, comprising addresses, honorary society 
commissions, and resolutions of respect, as well as the freedom of 
cities presented abroad. 

K 

From the time that the General's voice began to fail, as previously 
mentioned, up to the time of his death, he communicated with his 
attending physician very freely by written tablets. These are of in- 
tense interest ; by them one can see how the distinguished patient 
watched every progress of his wasting fatal malady; how hope alter- 
nated with fear, and how at last he gave up the unequal struggle. 
The tablets as given below were furnished by the correspondent of 
the Albany Evening 'journal: 

I shall have to be chreful about my writing. I see every person I 
give a piece of paper to puts it in his pocket. Some day they will be 
coming up against my English. 

It was General Grant's style to read up books concerning the his- 
tory of the War and the records of the Rebellion very closely and 
carefully, and then to sit down and write for hours at a stretch on his 
memoirs. The 23d of June, at 5:30 p. m., he wrote the following 
page: 

I said I had been adding to my book and to my coflin. I presume 
every strain on tlie mind or body is one more nail in the coffin. 

The 27th of June, at 10 a. m., the General wrote: 

I don't talk because my mouth is easy, and I want to keep it so as 
long as possible. If I should get up now, I would probably go to 
work preparing something for reading up. 

The same day he wrote a tablet saying that he had still been at 
work, despite what he had said in the morning. He wrote at 4 
o'clock in the afternoon : 



LIFE AND SERVICES. >j6'J 

I wrote four pages; I tore it off, and have it; I must read up before 
I can write properly. 

Most of the tablets — all of them, with a few exceptions, in fact — 
refer to the symptoms of the disease that was eating into his vitals. 
By following the tablets from the time the General arrived at Mount 
MacGregor until the closing of his life one obtains a very fair idea of 
the insidious, deceptive course of the deadly cancer. The 29th of 
June, at 3 P. M., it was raining, but the General wrote the following 
tablet: 

I have had a very restful day. I hope, however, we will have a 
pleasant day outside to-morrow. 

Within an hour he began to experience a change, for at 4 o'clock 
he wrote : 

This is always the trouble. No matter how well I get along the 
balance of llie twenty-four hours, when the middle of the afternoon 
comes I begin to feel stuffy, stopped up, and generally uncomfort- 
able. 

The 30th of June the General wrote the following: 

The atmosphere here enables me to live in comparative comfort 
while I am being treated, or while nature is taking its course with 
my disease. I have no idea that I should have been able to come 
here now if I had remained in the city. It is doubtful whether I 
would have been alive. Now, I would be much better able to move 
back than I was to come up at the time I did. U. S. Grant. 

The General objected to stimulants. The ist of July he expressed 
the wish to have the wine discontinued, and wrote as follows: 

I have not taken any wine in six days. So far as I have tried, I 
don't think alcoholic drinks agree with me. They seem to heat me 
up and have no other effect. 

The 2d of July at 2 p. m. the General wrote this interesting tablet: 

I have had no rest since you left here. Think I feel more like 
work than any time since I have been here. I will try to rest a little, 
however. I have worked and feel a little weak from it, but I cannot 
sleep. From 7 this morning I have dozed off a few times, but not 
half an hour in the aggregate. I have been writing upon my views 
of some of our Generals and of the character of Lincoln and Stan- 
ton. I don't place Stanton as high as some people do. Mr. Lincoln 
cannot be exalted too highly. 

One of the peculiarities of cancer patients is that they have periods 
of great despondency. General Grant had these periods, and July 3 
lie wrote as follows: 

There are times when I could not recover if left to myself. What 



768 



GENERAL U. S GRANT S 



is to be my fate to-night, doctor? Will I have to lie awake, making 
it a study how to get a breath? It is about as much as I could stand 
to go tlirough another night. 

To indicate how hope and fear alternated with General Grant we 
append two tablets. July 4 at 7 p. m. he wrote: 

I have been getting, along very well to-day. There is a growing 
weakness, however. 

July 5, at 10:30 A. M., he wrote: 

I think I am not so weak as I was at this time yesterday. 

July 6, at II o'clock at night, he wrote this question to the doctor: 

Is the hotel pretty full now ? 

The following was written July 7: 

At II p M. he wrote to the doctor about the use of cocaine and said : 

I may have to use cocaine. If I do I will take the liberty of wak- 
ing you up to administer it. 

The thoughtfulness of the General in expressing himself in mak- 
ing his wants known, is disclosed by this last tablet. He was very 
anxious at all times not to disturb the physician more than was 
necessary. 

July S, at [I o'clock in the morning, the General wrote: 

I feel pretty well, but get sleepy sitting in the air. I took a half 
an hour's nap. Do you want me to go in the house? I am as bright 
and well now, for the time at least, as I ever will be. 

Soon after this he wrote: 

I believe I will go in, after all. 

The visit of the Mexican editors, July S, tired him very much, and 
at 7 p. M. he wrote: 

I must avoid such afternoons as this. All that fatigued me very 
much. I will take dinner and get to bed while you are at your dinner. 

Cocaine afforded him much relief. July 9 he wrote: 

I got a very considerable amount of rest. That last cocaine did 
me a power of good. The water I wanted very much, and it gave 
me an easy relief, with free breath and brief rest. 

The same day, at i o'clock in the afternoon : 

I have been sitting up ever since about 9 o'clock. Until just now 
I have not been drowsy all that time. I feel very much better tiian 
for some time. I walked about this morning with ease and pleasure 

At 3 p. M.: 

I have rested finely and slept a little since you were here. Now is 
the time when my mouth begins to fill up, and I don't feel quite as 
pleasant. It had commenced just as you came in a few minutes. 



LIFE AND SERVICES. 1769 

Half an hour later: 

For about three times after I had used the cocaine, to-dav, I would 
lav back in the delightful absence from pain, and even slept some. 

At 1 1 o'clock, the last tablet of the day : 

I have had a very fine rest to-day, without so much sleep as to in- 
terfere with a good night's rest from now on. I mav not get it, but 
hope I will. My swallowing is growing more difficult. 

The lo.h of July, one day less than a fortnight before General 
Grant died, he wrote : 

" Buck " has brought up the last of the first volume in print. In 
two weeks if they work hard they can have the second volume copied 
ready to go to the printer. I w^ill then feel that my work is done. 

Alas! before the two weeks had expired the old soldier's work was 
done. 

About this time General Grant began to experience greater diffi- 
culty in swallowing. The loth of July, at 11 :50 A. M., he wrote: 

I shall have to reduce my food very materially in order to be able 
to do anything much longer. It is quite hard to swallow anything 
after the first half tumbler. 

The same day, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, he wrote as follows: 
Doctor, I am glad to see you. I didn't know that you had come in. 

I dont see how 1 am to avoid the use of cocaine. It would relieve 

me very much. 

As early as 7:45 o'clock the morning of July 11 General Grant was 
writing to his doctor: 

I woke up feeling perfectly fresh, as if I had had a good night's 
natural sleep. My breatli is "less obstructed than usual at the same 
time of the day, and the head less filled up. In fact, mv breath is 
not obstructed in the least. I have used no cocaine during the night, 
nor do I require any yet. 

It was a peculiarity of General Grant always to be considerate of 
those about him. This is made clear by the following tablet, which 
he wrote at i o'clock in the morning of the 12th of July : 

Not sleeping does not disturb me, because I have had so much 
sleep; and then I have been comparatively free from pain. I know a 
sick person cannot feel just as he would like all the time, but I think 
it a duty to let the physician know from time to time just my feel- 
ings, as it may benefit some other fellow-sufferer hereafter. 

On the same night the General's nurse, Henry, gave Dr. Douglass 
a tablet which directed him to wake the Doctor, and advise with him 
whether anything should be done. The tablet adds: 

I feel very well, but have nearly a constant hiccough. Whether 
this indicates anything or not I do not know, but it is inconvenient. 



770 GENERAL U. S. GRANt's 

The patient maj not have known that this symptom signified the 
commencement of his last decline. 

General Grant wrote at all hours of the day and night. For in 
stance, at 4 o'clock on the morning of July 12: 

I notice that your little girls and Julia (his granddaughter ) get 
along very happily together with their swing, lawn-tennis and nice 
shade. They seem very happy. 

About the same hour he wrote: 

1 h:ive not slept probably two hours since 4 o'clock yesterday. Ly- 
ing down as 1 do all the time I get all the sleep in the aggregate that 
is necessary. 

For the last twenty-four hours I have suffered less pain on the 
whole than usual. I have felt more pain than is real, because I have 
not been able to go out. Just now I lee) quite strong, waiting until I 
get drowsy. I would probal^ly feel weak if I had to make any great 
exertion. It is a question of avoiding nervousness and restlessness. 
These 1 have been free from. The trouble iias been more from pain 
and the accumulation of mucus in the mouth and throat. 

At 8 o'clock the morning of the same day he wrote : 

My not eating so much has helped me very much. As you say, 
the ditficulty about articulation comes from the sore upon inside cf 
the cheek. 

July 16 Gen. Grant wrote a tablet, in which he said: 

I ieel sore of the prospect of living through the summer and fall in 
the condition I am in. I don't think I can, but I may. Except that 
1 don't gather s'rength, I feel quite as well as I have been heretofore, 
but I am satisfied that I am losing strength. I feel it more in the in- 
ability to move about than in any other way, or rather in the lack of 
desire to try to move. 

About July 16 a weakness of the stomach was indicated, and the 
1 8th he wrote: 

If I could recover the tone of my stomach I think I would pick up. 

At this time a looseness of the bowels became apparent. At 10 
o'clock in the morning he wrote: 

1 have been very wide awake, but comparatively free from pain. I 
was just about getting up to walk about the room. Did any one go 
for you ? I didn't send. 

At lo o'clock at night he wrote the following: 

Not feeling sleepy. Have been thinking of the propriety of taking 
food. If I could recover the tone of my stomach I would like it. 

The 19th the General felt very tired, and at 2 o'clock in the morn- 
ing began to be restless. The doctor suggested a change of position, 
and the General wrote : 



LIFE AND SERVICES. >J>Jl 

Do you not think it advisable for me to rest as a tailor does when 
he is standing up? 

With the loss of vitality the malignant pains about the seat of the 
disease appeared to diminish, and the General was deceived as to his 
condition, for he v^TOte the 19th of July : 

I think I am better this evening than for some time back. The 
sore places in niy mouth do not seem to be spreading. On the other 
hand, I don't see that any of them are particularly on the road to re- 
covery. 

At 9:45 P. M., the same day, he wrote: 

What time have you, doctor.'' I have been resting so easily, I 
would not have been surprised to hear it was 11 o'clock. Henry tells 
me it is only a little after 9. 

July 20 at 7 A. M. he thought he was better, and wrote: 

My rest for the night was better than the average. I am satisfied I 
shalf have to gi\ e up coffee. It is distasteful, too, and harder to take 
than anything that goes into my mouth. I feel weak and feverish af- 
ter my coffee for a long time, and have an insatiable desire to drink 
water. It has been a half-hour since drinking coffee, and I have an 
immoderate desire to drink cold water yet. 

At 2 o'clock A. M. he had written : 

In making a summary of the progress of the disease the 19th of 
July I said that the sores in the mouth were still there. This was 
hardly correct. The j)aiate is about well and along the tongue consid- 
erably improved. 

The General's mind did not weaken until almost the last hour. 
The day before he died he wrote: 

I don't think I slept the last time because of the medicine which 
put me to sleep liie first and second times. 

He had taken the medicine but once. 

The following remarkable document was handed Dr. 
Douglass on Thursday, July 2: 

I ask you not to show this to any one, unless the physicians you 
consult with, until the end. Particularly I want it kept from my fam- 
ily. If known to one man the papers will get it, and they (the family) 
will get it. It would only distress them almost beyond endurance to 
know it, and, by reflex, would distress me. I have not changed my 
mind materially since I wrote you before in the same strain; now, 
however, I know that I gain strength some days, but when I do go 
back, it is beyond where I started to improve. I think the chances 
are very decidedly in favor of your being able to keep me alive until 



772 GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S 

the change of weather, toward winter. Of course there are 
contingencies that might arise at any time that might carry me off 
very suddenly. The most probable of these is choking. Under the 
circumstances, life is not worth the living. I am very thankful [for 
thankful, glad was written, but scratched out and thankful substituted] 
to have been spared this long, because it has enabled me to practically 
complete the work in which 1 take so much interest. I cannot stir 
up strength enough to review it and make additions and substitutions 
that would suggest themselves to me, and are not likely to suggest 
themselves to any one else. Under the above circumstances, I vvill 
be the happiest the most pain I can avoid. If there is to be any extra- 
ordinary cure, such as some people believe there is to be, it will 
develop itself. I would say, therefore, to you and your colleagues, to 
make me as comfortable as you can. If it is within God's providence 
that I should go now I am ready to obey His call without a murmur. 
I should prefer to go now to enduring my present suffering for a single 
day without hope of recovery. As I have stated, I am thankful for 
the Providential extension of my time to enable me to continue my 
work. I am further thankful, and in a much greater degree thankful, 
because it has enabled me to see for myself the happy harmony which 
so suddenly sprung up between those engaged but a few short years 
ago in deadly conflict. It has been an inestimable blessing to me to 
hear the kind expressions toward me in person from all points of our 
country, from people of all nationalities, of all religions; of Confeder- 
ates and of National troops alike; of soldiers' organizations; of 
mechanical, scientific, religious, and other societies, embracing almost 
every citizen in the land. They have brought joy to my heart, if they 
have not effected a cure, so to you and your colleagues I acknowledge 
my indebtedness for having brought me through the valley of the 
shadow of death to enable me to witness these thii^gs. 

U. S. Grant. 
Mount MacGregor, N. Y., July 2. 18S5. 



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